Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-12
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 7.0)
dear Siri,
I am writing this letter to tell you about places you can rent around the university you recently enrolled.
Congrats on your selection in the course at the university. Its a great place to study and totally worth your time and efforts.
When i was a student i was renting a shared basement that was at 10 mins walking distance or just next bus stop for the rapid bus. so, i would encourage you to find place based on location and that is easy to commute.
I would recommend you to check on facebook marketplace because thats how i searched for the rentals. There will be various rental options including condos, basements, houses, they all have their own pros and cons. basements being cheaper provides spacious rooms and ample parking space ,however, condos cost more but is more secured and can have gym, swimming pools, good views from balcony.
The only thing i will warn you about is make sure you decide on the rent and the additional cost of amenities before paying any deposits.I have seen instances where people discuss rent but then some amenities are at additional costs that increase there budgets.
All the best for you studies and house hunt.
Best Wishes,
Alexa
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response successfully covers all the required bullet points of the task. You warmly congratulate Siri, describe your past student accommodation experience (a shared basement near a rapid bus stop), recommend the best search method (Facebook Marketplace), and provide a clear, practical warning about hidden amenity costs. The tone is appropriate for an informal email to a friend, and the ideas are extended well with relevant pros and cons of different housing types. Therefore, the response fulfills all requirements of Task Achievement at a Band 7.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The email has a clear overall progression from the greeting and congratulations to the description of past accommodation, recommendations, warnings, and a friendly sign-off. Paragraphing is used logically to separate different topics, such as the location description in one paragraph and search strategies in another. Cohesive devices such as 'however', 'when i was a student', and 'the only thing i will warn you about' connect the ideas smoothly. Although some paragraph transitions could be slightly more polished, the logical organisation meets the Band 7.0 criteria.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary with some less common items related to housing and student life, such as 'basement', 'condos', 'marketplace', 'amenities', and 'deposits'. While there are a few minor lexical and grammatical inaccuracies (e.g., 'selection in the course' instead of 'admission to the course', and 'basements being cheaper provides' with a minor subject-verb agreement issue), these errors do not impede communication. The vocabulary is flexible enough to discuss housing pros and cons, which comfortably fits the Band 6.5 descriptor, rounded to 6.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The writing features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('that was at 10 mins walking distance') and compound-complex sentences containing contrastive connectors ('however, condos cost more but is more secured'). There are some minor grammatical errors, including lowercase capitalization at the start of sentences ('dear Siri', 'Congrats', 'When i was a student'), missing articles, and a subject-verb agreement slip ('basements... provides'). However, the majority of sentences are clear and your meaning is easily understood, supporting a Band 6.5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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