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 Geeta,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I came to know that you are planning to study in a foreign country from your brother. I recently graduated from Lakehead University in Canada. It was in a city center of Thunder Bay metropolis with a lot of amenities.

I was able to learn about the culture and lifestyle of people in the community around the city. It was fascinating to be a part of their cultural celebration around the year which helped me to realize how welcomimg Canadians are.

It was really helpful to study in this institution as I get exposure to new techniques and equipment which would not be possible to get back there in Nepal. I was able to complete my thesis and lab works here quite easily.

Overall, it was a great experience and I am happy for you that you are also travelling to Australia for your part of studies. I can gurantee you that you will enjoy the environment over there.

If you need any help or information regading anything, just give me a call or message.

All the best!

Kind Regards,

Subas

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points required in the task instructions. First, the writer specifies where they studied by mentioning Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Canada. Second, they describe what they learned about the country, noting the cultural celebrations and the welcoming nature of Canadians. Third, they explain how the year abroad was helpful for their studies by highlighting access to new techniques, equipment, and how it assisted with their thesis and lab work. The tone is appropriately friendly and conversational for a letter to a friend's sister, fulfilling all communicative requirements of General Training Task 1 effectively and without any noticeable omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

The letter exhibits a clear and logical overall progression. Ideas are grouped appropriately into paragraphs, with an opening pleasantry, a transition into the main topics, distinct paragraphs for each bullet point, and a warm closing. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'It was', and referencing words like 'here' and 'there' are handled well. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader smoothly from the introduction of the university experience to the final well-wishes for Australia. Cohesion is natural and does not feel mechanical, supporting easy readability throughout the entire correspondence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate and generally appropriate for the task, successfully conveying the intended meaning. The writer attempts some less common lexical items and phrases such as 'amenities', 'cultural celebration', and 'exposure to new techniques'. There are, however, occasional spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'welcomimg' (welcoming), 'regading' (regarding), and the slight awkwardness of 'part of studies' instead of 'studies abroad'. Despite these minor slips, the vocabulary range is sufficient for the task and communication is never impeded. The tone remains friendly and appropriate throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The writer demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures reasonably well (e.g., 'which would not be possible to get back there in Nepal'). There are a few grammatical and mechanical errors present, such as 'I came to know that you are planning' (a slightly unnatural phrasing compared to 'I heard that you are planning'), the spelling error 'gurantee', and minor preposition slip-ups like 'for your part of studies'. However, the majority of sentences are clear and error-free, and these minor lapses do not impede overall communication. Control of punctuation is generally good.

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