Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-31

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 7.0)

Dear Sir,

I hope this letter meets you well. I am writing in response to the article you published on the national dailies on the 15th December, 2025, of which it was claimed that the city centres are not distinguished from each other. I was raised here and can categorically state that I witnessed major development strides by various administrations in power over the past twenty years.

I believe you may be speaking from the perspective of comparing Ebua and Ekalawa towns because of the resemblance in infrastructural developments. This is accredited to the Engineer and Architect who were given the project to design both cities. It may interest you to note that both cities shared the same ancestry and can be akin to identical twins. But that is not the case with the other twelve cities that make up this great nation.

The remaining twelve cities are distinctive and are known for different things. Take for instance Abalua city has green parks, ultra modern hospital, train station and a museum. The entire city has tall buildings and a serene environment. Using my town, Okwa as another example, we are known for having the largest ceramic plant.

I can volunteer to take you on a tour on your next visit to my country.

Kind regards,

Florence

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly state your disagreement with the article, explain how your town is unique, and offer a guided tour. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an editor. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven; while you provide specific examples for Abalua and Okwa, the explanation regarding the 'identical twins' (Ebua and Ekalawa) is a bit confusing and could have been more concisely linked to the main argument. Overall, the task is fulfilled well, and the position is clear throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Take for instance' and 'Using my town... as another example' to connect ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between the first and second paragraphs could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the phrasing 'of which it was claimed' in the opening is slightly awkward and impacts the natural flow of the sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, such as 'categorically state', 'development strides', 'distinctive', and 'serene environment'. These choices are appropriate for the context of a formal letter. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'meets you well' (should be 'finds you well') and 'accredited to' (should be 'attributed to'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly and with some precision, allowing for a flexible range of expression.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'It may interest you to note that...' and the relative clause '...who were given the project'. While there are some grammatical slips, such as 'the city centres are not distinguished from each other' (passive voice usage is slightly unnatural here) and 'I hope this letter meets you well', these errors do not impede communication. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence structures are varied enough to maintain interest and clarity throughout the response.

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

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