Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently used a company to help you move your furniture and possessions to your new apartment. The removal company has now asked for your feedback about the service they provided.

Write a letter to the removal company. In your letter

• explain what went well on the day you moved house

• praise an employee who was particularly helpful

• mention an aspect of the service that you were not happy with

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 8.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to provide my feedback on the recent moving service that I used on the 30th of last month.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the service provided by your staff and I would like to mention an instance where your staff worked above and beyond. On our way to our new apartment, there was an accident that delayed our trip by an hour. However, the driver and team stayed positive and helped me with the move without rushing things.

In addition to the above, I would like to give a five-star rating for the service delivered by Sam, who handled my kitchen appliances and pots carefully. During my last move the person who handled them damaged all of my plates and mugs. But Sam was really understanding and responsible.

Further, I would like to bring to your attention that the team came late to pick up my furniture and possessions, which made me wait thirty minutes. I hope you will advise them on this matter.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Yumi G

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The student successfully covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. First, she explains what went well on the day by detailing how the team stayed positive and helpful despite a traffic accident causing an hour-long delay. Second, she praises a specific employee, Sam, who handled her kitchen appliances and pots carefully, contrasting it with a poor past experience. Third, she mentions an aspect of the service she was not happy with, which was the thirty-minute delay in the team arriving to pick up her possessions. The tone of the letter is consistently appropriate for a formal complaint and feedback letter, and all ideas are relevant and well-developed. The response clearly meets the task requirements with a well-structured format.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter exhibits a clear logical progression throughout. Each paragraph addresses a distinct point of the prompt, starting with an introductory statement, followed by the positive aspects and the employee praise, and concluding with the negative aspect. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the transitions between paragraphs and sentences are smooth, utilizing cohesive devices such as 'In addition to the above' and 'Further'. Referencing is clear, and the overall structure follows a natural letter-writing convention, making it very easy for the reader to follow the writer's thoughts and experiences from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient and generally natural range of vocabulary suitable for a formal complaint letter. Phrases like 'above and beyond', 'five-star rating', and 'bring to your attention' show good control of common collocation and register. While the vocabulary is not overly sophisticated, it is precise enough to convey the intended meaning clearly without any noticeable lexical errors. Word choices such as 'possessions', 'appliances', and 'responsible' fit the context very well, resulting in effective communication throughout the entire letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response contains a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'On our way to our new apartment, there was an accident that delayed our trip by an hour.' Control of grammar and punctuation is strong, with the majority of sentences being error-free. The student uses past tenses accurately when recounting the moving day events and present tenses appropriately for current states and opinions. Punctuation and capitalisation follow standard rules, and minor errors are absent. The grammatical range supports the clear delivery of the message.

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