Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-27

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The younger sister of one of your friends is thinking about spending a year studying abroad as part of her university course. You did this recently, and she has asked you about your experience.

Write a letter to your friend's sister. In your letter

• tell her where you studied during your year abroad

• describe what you learnt about the country you studied in

• explain why your year abroad was helpful for your studies

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear........,

Student answer (Band 7.0)

Dear Sara,

Hope you're doing well.

Your sister Shine mentioned that you are interested in going abroad for an year to study as your program has that option. I have also done the same two years back.

I went to study cultural heritage at Oxford university in London, England. It was a great opportunity for me as I had gained a lot of knowledge and experience about a lot things.

As you know, United Kingdom is a country that has their own traditions and cultures. I went to their old monuments and museums to get better insight of everything. I also discovered that english language that they use is much more grammatically accurate as compared to other countries. They don't use any slangs like we Canadians do.

I believe that when we stay away from our home we develop many new skills such as good decision making, team work and become independent too. We also build connections which helps us further in getting better career opportunities.

I would be more than happy to help if you need anything else.

Take care and all the best,

Neha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The candidate has successfully addressed all bullet points outlined in the prompt. First, she clearly stated where she studied by writing, 'I went to study cultural heritage at Oxford university in London, England.' Second, she described what she learned about the country, mentioning visits to 'old monuments and museums' and observing linguistic differences. Finally, she explained how the year abroad helped her studies and personal growth, highlighting benefits such as 'good decision making, team work and become independent too' as well as career connections. The tone is appropriate for a semi-formal letter to a friend's sister. While some ideas like the comment on the English language could be slightly better developed, all core requirements of the task are fully covered, making this a solid performance for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are logically grouped into paragraphs, starting with an appropriate greeting and personal connection, moving on to the specific location, what was learned, the personal benefits, and a polite closing offer. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'As you know,' 'I also discovered,' and 'I believe that,' although referencing and linking can occasionally feel slightly basic. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate different topics, ensuring the reader can easily follow the sequence of ideas from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision. Phrases such as 'cultural heritage,' 'grammatically accurate,' and 'career opportunities' show an adequate vocabulary level. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as writing 'for an year' instead of 'for a year' and 'a lot things' instead of 'a lot of things.' Furthermore, the use of 'slangs' is technically incorrect as 'slang' is an uncountable noun. Despite these occasional slips, the vocabulary used is functional, and communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures reasonably well. There are several error-free sentences, particularly in the opening and closing sections. However, a few grammatical errors persist throughout the text. For instance, 'Oxford university' should be capitalised as 'Oxford University,' 'english language' requires a capital letter for 'English,' and 'two years back' is slightly informal compared to 'two years ago.' Additionally, minor punctuation slips occur. Nevertheless, these errors are relatively minor and do not impede communication, showing a good general control of grammar.

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