Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12
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 7.5)
Dear Sara,
Huge congratulations on getting into the university! You're going to love it there.
When I was studying for my Bachelor's Degree, I lived a shared house just a short walk from the campus. It was affordable, lively, and incredibly convenient for the balancing busy class schedule and practical clinic sessions.
The best way to find a place now is through the university's official housing portal or student union service. They offer verified listings of reliable landlords and private halls. Students social media groups are also great for finding housemates.
I want Inform you just to be carful not to rush into signing a contract based solely on online photos. Nowadays, a common mistake is skipping an in-person viewing and ending up with hidden issues, like dampness or poor heating. Also, always check if utilities are included so you aren't surprised by extra bills.
let me know if you need any neighborhoods recommendations around the campus.
Best regards,
Aamena
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0
The response successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly described your past living situation, provided practical recommendations for finding accommodation, and offered a relevant warning regarding common mistakes. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, maintaining a consistent and helpful persona throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the context of a student moving to a new university. The response is fully focused on the task requirements without any irrelevant information, demonstrating a clear understanding of the communicative purpose of the email.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0
The email is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving naturally from the initial congratulations to the specific advice requested. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'When I was studying', 'The best way', and 'Also', which help guide the reader through the text. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points, making the email easy to follow. The relationship between sentences is clear, and the overall structure is coherent and well-managed throughout the piece.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for this informal task. Phrases like 'verified listings', 'in-person viewing', and 'hidden issues' show a good command of topic-specific language. There is a minor error in 'I want Inform you' (should be 'I want to inform you') and 'be carful' (spelling error: 'careful'), but these do not impede communication. The vocabulary is natural and fits the context well. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate slightly more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions, but the current range is sufficient for a high score in this task type.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and the meaning is always clear. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as the missing 'to' in 'I want Inform you' and the capitalization error in 'let me know'. Additionally, 'lived a shared house' should be 'lived in a shared house'. Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are accurate, and your control over punctuation and sentence structure is generally strong. The grammar does not interfere with the clarity of your advice.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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