Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-26

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Your friend has been offered a place on a course at the university where you studied. He/She would like your advice about finding a place to live.

Write an email to your friend. In your email

• describe where you lived when you were a student at the university
• recommend the best way for him/her to look for accommodation
• warn him/her of mistakes students make when choosing accommodation

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your email as follows:

Dear ..........,

Student answer (Band 8.0)

Dear Jenna,

I hope this message finds you well. I am extremely delighted to hear that you are going to the same university where I studied and I am here to guide you on each steps. Yesterday, I read your email and I totally understand that you are worried about your accommodation and thus you need my advice.

First, when I joined university there was nobody to provide me any direction for selecting an accommodation and thus I choose university dorm. However, I did not like the place due to some considerable reasons. The first reason, the dorm has fixed meal timings and if you missed it by some reason, you have to make your own food by yourself with the help of dorm's kitchen. Another strict rule is that the main gate will be close by 10PM on account of security purpose and thus you must be back before that time. Furthermore, this type of accommodation is quite expensive just because it was operating through university and the location was closer to the academic area.

After this, I and my friends decided to rent an apartment together and finally we found a perfect place which was suitable for students. The rent of the place was way cheaper than the dorm charges. Nonetheless, we all were more excited for the freedom that we were about have after leaving the university stay.

Furthermore, you can easily find the apartment or a house from several websites like Kijiji, Facebook house, Marketplace, or on renthome.ca. Moreover, there are some university students groups available on social media on which you can easily find groups who are looking for an accommodation and you can share the place with them.

However, there are some precautions that you should consider while signing the lease for your stay. First, read your lease before you sign it sometimes land owners put some extra rules which were not discussed before. Second, do visit the place before you finalize and take some videos of the place. Third, select the place which is few minutes away from the university so you do not waste your precious time in travelling.

If you have more question feel free to call me.

Yours faithfully,

Himani.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly described your initial experience in university dorms, provided practical recommendations for finding accommodation, and offered relevant warnings regarding lease agreements and site visits. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the ideas are well-developed and relevant. You have successfully covered all parts of the task in a clear and helpful manner, ensuring the reader receives comprehensive advice.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The email is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your advice easily. You use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'First', 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'Nonetheless' to link your sentences and paragraphs. While some transitions are slightly repetitive, the overall structure is coherent and the paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sections of your advice.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'fixed meal timings', 'academic area', and 'finalize' are used correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'guide you on each steps' (should be 'each step') and 'land owners' (usually 'landlords'). However, these errors do not impede communication, and you successfully use a range of vocabulary suitable for a semi-formal/informal email context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some grammatical slips, such as 'I choose university dorm' (should be 'I chose') and 'the main gate will be close' (should be 'closed'), the majority of your sentences are clear and error-free. Your control of punctuation is generally good, and the minor errors do not cause any difficulty for the reader. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring consistent verb tense usage and correct passive voice construction.

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