Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-24

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have just read an article in a national newspaper which claims that town centres in your country all look very similar to each other. You don't fully agree with this opinion.

Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper. In your letter

• say which points in the article you agree with
• explain ways in which your town centre is different from most other town centres
• offer to give a guided tour of your town to the writer of the article

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing about your recent article saying that all town centres in your country look the same. I agree with some of your ideas, but do not fully agree.

I agree that many town centres have the same kind of big shops, markets, and restaurants. Because of this, some places look similar.

However, my town centre is different from others. It has old buildings, a beautiful park, and a local market where people sell fresh food and handmade items. We also have many cultural festivals which make the town special. These things give our town its own identity.

I would like to invite the writer of the article to visit my town. I would be happy to give a guided tour and show the places that make it different from other town centres. I believe that after seeing it, the writer may change their opinion.

Yours faithfully,

Sanjot

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state your partial agreement with the article, provide specific examples of what makes your town unique (old buildings, park, local market, festivals), and extend a polite invitation for a guided tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. To improve, you could expand slightly on the 'why' behind your town's uniqueness to provide more depth, but you have fulfilled all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding offer. Each paragraph focuses on a single idea, which makes the text easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Because of this', and 'These things' to link your ideas. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that the transition between the acknowledgement of the article and your counter-argument is smoother and more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

Your vocabulary is accurate and appropriate for the context of a letter to an editor. You use relevant terms like 'identity', 'cultural festivals', and 'guided tour'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it is somewhat functional and lacks a range of more sophisticated or 'less common' lexical items. To improve, try to incorporate more precise adjectives or collocations to describe your town's atmosphere or the nature of the article's claims.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The grammar is generally accurate, and your sentences are clear and easy to understand. You demonstrate control over simple and compound sentence structures. However, the range of complex structures is limited. Most of your sentences follow a similar pattern. To improve, try to integrate more complex grammatical forms, such as relative clauses (e.g., 'The town, which is located in the north, has...'), passive voice, or conditional structures to demonstrate a wider range of control.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.