Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-29

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 7.0)

Dear Conor,

I hope this email finds you well. I hope you and you're family doing well. It's been a while when we last talked. I am writing to advice you regarding finding a place to live.

To begin with, while I pursue my bachelor's degree I used to live at Pater's hostel and it is located two blocks north from the college. I paid $350 for a shared room, however, this cost includes breakfast and dinner.

The best way to find a accommodation is hire a broker and explain your basic requirements, he will find a perfect place for yourself. I know this option is quite expensive however, this option is easier and you will get your stay as soon as possible.

I would like you to aware about the transportation cost from hostel to college is higher. Therefore, please find a accommodation nearest to the university.

I hope you like my suggestion and I am looking forward to hear a successful accommodation hunting.

Your sincerely,

Kevin Peter

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing your past accommodation, recommending a search method, and warning about common mistakes. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the warning about transportation costs is brief and could have been expanded to better illustrate the 'mistake' students make. While the task is fully addressed, the depth of the response is basic. To reach a higher band, ensure that your advice is more detailed and provides more context for your friend, which would make the letter feel more natural and helpful.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The email is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific part of the prompt. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Therefore', and 'However' to link your ideas. While these are functional, the flow between some sentences is slightly mechanical. For instance, the transition between the recommendation and the warning could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentence structures are repetitive. Overall, the message is easy to follow, and the paragraphing is appropriate for an informal email.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your points clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'accommodation', 'hostel', and 'broker'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'hire a broker' (usually 'use a broker' or 'contact an agent') and 'get your stay' (which is unnatural). You also have a few grammatical slips involving word forms, such as 'I would like you to aware' instead of 'I would like to make you aware'. Expanding your range of collocations would help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include 'you and you're family' (should be 'your'), 'while I pursue' (should be 'while I was pursuing'), and 'I am looking forward to hear' (should be 'looking forward to hearing'). These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of verb tenses when describing past experiences versus current advice. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also help.

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