Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 8.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-01
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 8.5)
Dear Maya,
I hope you're well — your brother Rohan mentioned that you're thinking about spending your third year abroad, and that you wanted to hear about my experience. I'm so glad you asked, as I did exactly the same thing last year.
I spent my year abroad at the University of Salamanca in Spain, as part of my Modern Languages degree. I was there from September to June, studying Spanish literature and translation alongside Spanish students.
What I learnt about the country was far beyond what I expected from textbooks. Of course I improved my Spanish, but I also learnt a lot about daily life and culture. For example, I discovered how important regional identity is — people in Salamanca are very proud of Castilian traditions, food and festivals, which are quite different from what I’d seen in Barcelona before. I also learnt to adapt to a different rhythm of life, like having lunch at 3pm and the fact that most shops close for siesta. Living with a host family really helped me understand these things.
The year was incredibly helpful for my studies. Before I went, I struggled with academic writing in Spanish and lacked confidence speaking in seminars. After a year of attending lectures in Spanish, writing essays and giving presentations, I came back much more fluent and my grades in my final year have improved a lot. It also gave me a clear focus for my dissertation, which I'm now writing on Spanish regional literature.
Best wishes,
dharti patel
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 8.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 8.5 |
| Overall | 8.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.5
Your response covers all parts of the task fully and effectively. You successfully mention where you studied (the University of Salamanca in Spain), describe what you learnt about the country through cultural experiences such as regional identity and daily habits, and clearly explain why the year abroad helped your academic studies by improving your academic writing and seminar confidence. All ideas are well-developed and supported with relevant details, creating a fully appropriate and natural letter format.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.5
Your letter demonstrates a logical sequence of ideas and clear overall progression from the introductory context to the specific details of your experience, cultural learnings, and academic benefits. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating distinct themes such as the location, cultural insights, and academic impact. Cohesive devices are managed skilfully and naturally throughout the text, such as using 'Of course I improved my Spanish, but I also learnt...' and 'For example, I discovered...', which ensure smooth transitions between sentences without attracting unwanted attention.
Lexical Resource: Band 8.0
You display a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary suited to an informal yet informative letter. You make skilful use of less common items and precise collocations, such as 'regional identity', 'Castilian traditions', 'rhythm of life', and 'academic writing'. Word choice is natural and accurate, with only occasional minor stylistic slips, showing strong control over vocabulary and spelling throughout the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.5
Your writing exhibits a wide range of complex sentence structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of your sentences are completely error-free, and you demonstrate excellent command over complex clauses, verb tenses, and punctuation. Structures such as 'what I expected from textbooks' and 'which I'm now writing on' are handled flawlessly, with only very occasional minor inappropriacies that do not detract from the overall clarity of the communication.
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