Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-03

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 Shagun,

Hope you are doing splendidly well. I am writing this letter to give you some suggestions that you need to consider while finding a suitable place to live nearby the university.

I recently got to know that you are looking for accommodation. I would love to share my own experience with you. In my college time, my friend and I used to live in an appartement. We used to share the property. You need to consider some crucial factors while choosing a place to live. It should be reasonable, easy to commute and provide the adequate space. I would recommend you to ask for the utilities required such as electricity, laundry and internet, whether these are included in rent or not. Since i have seen so many students are hesitant to ask and unable to avail the benefits. Consequently, they are forced to pay extra for facilities.

I would appreciate it if you would keep all these crucial information in mind. I hope to be in touch with you soon.

Thank you,

Manpreet kour

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing your past living situation, 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, while you mention the need to ask about utilities, the advice on 'how' to look for accommodation is quite brief. To improve, you could expand on specific resources like university housing boards or local websites. The response is clear and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The email is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used, although the body paragraph is quite dense and could have been split to better separate the recommendation from the warning. Cohesive devices such as 'Consequently' and 'Since' are used to link ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, and the reader can easily follow your advice. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single main idea to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, using phrases like 'splendidly well', 'crucial factors', and 'avail the benefits'. There are some minor errors, such as 'nearby the university' (should be 'near the university') and 'all these crucial information' (information is uncountable, so 'this' should be used). While the vocabulary is generally accurate, it is somewhat standard. Incorporating more precise collocations related to housing, such as 'tenancy agreement' or 'proximity to campus', would enhance your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are a few grammatical slips, such as 'Since i have seen' (capitalization error and awkward phrasing) and 'my college time' (should be 'during my college years'). Additionally, 'provide the adequate space' is slightly unnatural; 'provide adequate space' would be better. Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. Focusing on article usage and subject-verb agreement will help you achieve a higher level of accuracy.

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

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