Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-16

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 Maria,

Hope you are doing well.

First of all, congratulations on securing a place in Brand Management Course at Iqra University. It is one of the best courses in the town right now in the marketing sector.

As you asked about my advice on the accomodation arrangements, I would like to tell you that I lived in an apartment near the university campus during my studies.

The best way to search for an accomodation is to look up in google maps and university alumni recommendations which are easily available in the university Facebook group. From google maps, you will get an honest idea and reviews of each apartment and from Facebook group you will get a community to live nearby.

I chose Best Western Apartments, as they were within one kilmetre of university radius so the commute was easier and had all the basic utilities. It also had shared apartment option with other females which helped me cut the huge cost of rent.

However, I should warn you about the lucarative advertising for apartments near the campus, do not get caught up in those. As usually, apartment owners want to crack the best deal out of new comers who have little to no idea of the local rent. It is best to ask for current rent window in the Facebook group I mentioned earlier.

Lastly, best of luck for finding a new place to live as after a hectic day, a comfy home is all you want.

Regards,

Sumbul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The email addresses all three requested points and maintains a friendly, appropriate tone. You explain that you lived in an apartment near campus, recommend Google Maps and the university Facebook group, and warn Maria about misleading advertising and unfamiliarity with local rents. The advice is supported with useful personal details, such as the shared-apartment option and easier commute at Best Western Apartments. This gives the message clear purpose and relevant development. To make the advice even more complete, explain more specifically what to check before committing—for example, the lease terms, utilities, or safety—and clarify how alumni recommendations help identify suitable places. Overall, the task is covered clearly, though a little more precise development would strengthen the guidance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The message follows a clear progression: congratulations, your own accommodation experience, search advice, a personal example, a warning, and a friendly closing. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “First of all,” “However,” and “Lastly” guide the reader. The relationship between your recommendations and your experience is generally easy to follow. Some connections are less smooth: “From google maps, you will get an honest idea and reviews … and from Facebook group you will get a community to live nearby” combines two different benefits in a slightly awkward way. The warning paragraph also begins “However” even though it introduces a new point rather than directly contrasting the previous one. More precise linking and reference would make the progression feel more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a friendly email, including relevant terms such as “accommodation,” “commute,” “shared apartment,” “utilities,” and “local rent.” Phrases such as “cut the huge cost of rent” and “comfy home” help convey a personal, informal voice. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “accomodation” is misspelled, “lucarative advertising” is not the intended phrase (perhaps “persuasive” or “misleading advertising”), and “current rent window” is an unnatural collocation. “University radius” is also imprecise for describing distance. Check spelling and choose more natural combinations, especially for the warning and accommodation-search advice. These issues do not prevent understanding, but more accurate collocation would make the vocabulary more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and several sentences communicate clearly, including “I chose Best Western Apartments, as they were within one kilmetre … so the commute was easier.” The conditional-style advice and explanatory clauses also show some range. Some grammatical errors remain. “Hope you are doing well” omits the subject, which is acceptable in casual notes but less complete as a sentence; “in Brand Management Course” needs an article or a different construction. In “From google maps … and from Facebook group,” the second phrase needs an article, and “As usually, apartment owners…” is not a well-formed sentence opening. Review articles, sentence boundaries, and clause construction. Greater accuracy across these structures would build on the range already attempted.

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