Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25

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)

Your letter is clear and well organized. The main improvements are grammar, word choice, punctuation, and making a few sentences sound more natural. Here is a polished version while keeping your original ideas and tone:

Accommodation Advice

Dear Khang,

I am so excited to hear that you are enrolling at the same university where I studied a few years ago. You also mentioned that you are looking for a suitable place to live. I am happy to share that I know a convenient place where I stayed during my studies. It is an apartment building called Chelsea Heavens Apartments, which is quite close to the university.

I am confident that this place would be a great choice for you. It is only a ten-minute walk from the apartment to the university, and the building offers many amenities, including its own parking space and a mini supermarket in case you do not have enough time to run errands. Moreover, the rent is affordable. There are also several facilities near the building, such as parks, cafés, and restaurants, where you can spend your free time and unwind.

I know that some students make impulsive decisions when searching for accommodation and end up choosing places that are far from the university. This can waste both time and money on long commutes, especially during busy hours in the morning. I am pretty sure you would not make such a mistake, as you already know how stressful university life can be.

I hope you find my advice helpful. Let me know what you think about it, and we can discuss it further when I see you.

Best wishes,

Navjot

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly described your past accommodation at 'Chelsea Heavens Apartments', provided a specific recommendation, and offered a relevant warning regarding the pitfalls of choosing housing too far from campus. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, maintaining a helpful and encouraging persona throughout. The ideas are well-developed and the response is cohesive, meeting all the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing specific points, and a polite closing. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the description of the apartment from the advice and warnings. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'In case', and 'This can' to link ideas smoothly. The progression of information is natural and easy to follow, which is a hallmark of a well-structured informal letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for the context of housing and student life. Phrases like 'impulsive decisions', 'unwind', and 'run errands' are used accurately and naturally. While the vocabulary is functional and clear, it could be elevated further by incorporating more precise collocations or slightly more sophisticated descriptive language to reach the highest band. However, the current range is more than sufficient to convey your message clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The grammar is generally very strong, with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use relative clauses ('where I studied', 'which is quite close') and conditional structures effectively. Punctuation is accurate, and there are no significant errors that impede communication. The writing is fluent, and the majority of sentences are error-free, reflecting a high level of control over English syntax and mechanics.

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

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