Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-31

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Mrs Barrett, an English-speaking woman who lives in your town, has advertised for someone to help her in her home for a few hours a day next summer.

Write a letter to Mrs Barrett. In your letter

• suggest how you could help her in her home
• say why you would like to do this work
• explain when you will and will not be available

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mrs Barrett,

Student answer (Band 8.0)

Dear Mrs Barrett,

I hope you are doing well. I recently came across your advertisement in the newspaper about looking for someone to help with household and garden work next summer. As I live in the neighbourhood, I would be very happy to assist you.

I would be able to help with a variety of tasks around your home. For example, I could clean the carpets, lights and air vents, as well as keep the rooms tidy and well organised. I would also be happy to help with basic gardening, such as watering plants, removing weeds and keeping the garden neat. I enjoy cleaning and organising things, so I believe I would be well suited to this work.

I would like to take this job because I enjoy helping other people and would also like to make good use of my free time during the summer. In addition, earning some extra money would be useful for me.

Regarding my availability, I am free every Saturday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. I would appreciate it if you could let me know about the work at least one week in advance so that I can arrange my schedule accordingly. However, I will not be available on the second and fourth weekends of next month because I will be visiting a friend.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Sam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have fully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly outlined the specific household and garden tasks you could perform, explained your motivation for seeking the work, and provided a detailed schedule regarding your availability. The tone is consistently appropriate for a formal letter to a neighbor, and the purpose of the communication is clear from the outset. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, showing a good understanding of the task requirements. There are no omissions, and the response is well-structured to meet the needs of the recipient.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the introduction to the specific tasks, the motivation, and finally the availability. You have used cohesive devices such as 'For example', 'In addition', and 'However' effectively to link your sentences and ideas. The paragraphing is clear and appropriate for a formal letter, and the referencing is consistent throughout. The overall structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message with precision. Phrases like 'came across your advertisement', 'well suited to this work', and 'arrange my schedule accordingly' demonstrate a good command of natural English. The vocabulary is appropriate for the context of a job inquiry. While the range is functional and accurate, it could be further enhanced by incorporating more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items to reach the highest band, but for this task, your word choice is precise and error-free.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

Your writing displays a good variety of complex sentence structures, such as the use of conditional clauses ('I would appreciate it if...') and subordinate clauses ('...because I will be visiting a friend'). The grammar is highly accurate, with no noticeable errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, or punctuation. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the control over complex structures is consistent. The punctuation is used correctly to support the flow of your ideas, and the overall grammatical control is strong.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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