Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-27

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 Jinkal,

I hope you're doing great. I am writing this letter to give advice regarding accommodation. Congratulations on getting place at the university where I studied.

When I was student, I lived in shared apartment about 10 minutes walking distance from the university. I had my own bedroom, while the kitchen and bathroom were shared with two roommates. The rent was reasonable, and there were several stops and bus stop nearby. So it was very convenient.

I would suggest that you contact the university accommodation office first. They can provide information about students residence and private accommodation. You could also check student housing website and social media group.

However, there were common mistakes you should avoid. For instance, do not only choose a place only because it is a cheap. Male sure you check the distance from university ,transport facilities and whether bills are included in the rent. Also, never pay deposit before seeing the personally accommodation and checking rental agreement properly.

I hope you find a suitable place soon.

Please let me know if you need any more advice.

Best wishes,

Hemali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described your previous living situation, provided clear recommendations for finding accommodation, and included relevant warnings about common pitfalls. The tone is appropriate for an email to a friend, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task requirements. To improve further, you could expand slightly on the 'why' behind your recommendations to add more depth to your advice, but overall, you have fully met the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The email is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the letter easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'For instance,' 'However,' and 'Also' to link your sentences effectively. While the flow is generally smooth, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be slightly more sophisticated. The paragraphing is appropriate for an informal email, and the overall structure supports the message well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your ideas clearly. Phrases like 'reasonable rent,' 'convenient,' and 'rental agreement' are used accurately. There are some minor errors, such as 'getting place' (should be 'getting a place') and 'seeing the personally accommodation' (word order error). While you use some good topic-specific vocabulary, incorporating a few more idiomatic expressions or less common collocations would help elevate your score. The vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'When I was student' (missing article 'a'), 'Male sure' (spelling error for 'Make'), and 'do not only choose a place only because it is a cheap' (redundant 'only' and incorrect article usage). Despite these occasional errors, the meaning is always clear, and the majority of your sentences are error-free. To reach a higher band, focus on proofreading for small errors like missing articles and word order, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures.

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

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