Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-28

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 7.5)

Dear Bimpe,

I was pleasantly surprised when I received your Email asking me to give you information about the one year I spent in Canada studying as part of the requirement for my degree.

I was already aware that my programme required me to travel outside of Nigeria to do my 1 year teaching practice as an early childhood eucator and I had prepared for it. I applied to a primary school in Manitoba and the school administrator organized a call with me where I did an interview. Thankfully, I was accepted and all I had to do after was travel.

The province of Manitoba is beautiful, but I got to the country in the month of November when it was snowing. I quickly learnt that I was not a fan of snow. It was bitterly cold and no amount of clothe layering could give me the warmth I needed.

Regardless of that experience, the children that I taught in the school were amazing. They were advanced for their age I got to learn so much from them specifically on how to tailor my lessons for children between ages 5 and 6 to boost creativity and attentio.

I look forward to hearing about your plans in the future.

Best wishes,

Oyinloluwa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task prompt in a natural and engaging manner. You clearly stated where you studied by mentioning Manitoba, Canada, and explained that you completed your teaching practice as an early childhood educator. You effectively described your learnings about the country, specifically highlighting the harsh winter weather conditions ('the month of November when it was snowing' and 'bitterly cold'). Furthermore, you explained how the experience helped your studies by gaining practical insights on how to tailor lessons for young children to boost creativity. The tone is entirely appropriate for a friendly letter to a friend's sister. All bullet points are well-covered with relevant, well-developed details, fulfilling the criteria for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning, middle, and end, following standard informal letter conventions. Ideas are logically sequenced, moving smoothly from the initial surprise at the request, to the location and arrival experience, the weather challenges, the teaching takeaways, and finally a warm closing statement. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as the climate challenge versus the rewarding classroom experience. Cohesive devices are managed naturally without feeling forced, and referencing is clear throughout, making the letter very easy to follow for the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient and natural range of vocabulary suitable for an informal, informative letter. Phrases such as 'pleasantly surprised', 'early childhood educator', 'bitterly cold', and 'tailor my lessons' show good control of word choice and collocation. There are a few minor lexical and spelling slips, such as 'eucator' instead of 'educator', 'clothe layering' instead of 'clothing layering', and a missing word in 'age I got to', but these errors do not impede communication. The vocabulary adequately conveys the intended message with appropriate tone and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writing includes a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I was already aware that my programme required me to travel outside of Nigeria...'. Control of grammar and punctuation is generally good, and the majority of sentences are clear and grammatically sound. There are a few minor typographical or grammatical oversights, such as 'attentio' instead of 'attention', and occasional minor punctuation slips. However, these errors are infrequent and never impede the reader's understanding, reflecting a solid command of grammatical structures suitable for this task level.

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