Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-19

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 Friend,

I hope you are doing well. I was very happy to hear that you got admission to Northeastern University, and I am thankful to you for asking me for suggestions.

When I was in the program, I lived in Scarborough, which is an hour's distance from the university. Generally, I used the subway for travelling because it is affordable and has good frequency for the train and bus. Therefore, we don't need to wait for a long time.

There are various ways available to find accommodation, such as marketplaces, brokers, and agencies. Moreover, I have a link to a group that sends accommodation details. I have attached the group link to this letter, so you can find it here and choose what suits you best, for example, shared or private rooms, veg or non-veg.

One thing I noticed: most students make common mistakes when they choose accommodation. As everyone wants a home at an affordable price, they select anywhere that is cheaper without thinking about bus routes or grocery stores. As a result, they have to walk a long way from home to the bus stop. Due to this situation, I want to give you one piece of advice: please first check the distance from home to the bus stop and the grocery store near the street.

Please feel free to call me if you need any help. Take care and stay in touch.

Best wishes,

Almas

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly. You describe living in Scarborough and explain that the journey took about an hour, then recommend several ways to search, including a group link you say you have attached. Your warning is practical: students may choose a cheap place without checking transport and grocery access, and you give your friend a specific check to make. These details extend the advice and keep the email relevant. To make the response more fully developed, explain which search method you consider best and why, rather than listing marketplaces, brokers, agencies and the group without prioritising them. You could also clarify what “veg or non-veg” refers to in the accommodation options.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The email has a clear progression: a friendly opening, your own housing experience, search advice, a warning, and a warm closing. Paragraphing separates these purposes effectively, and links such as “Moreover,” “As a result,” and “Due to this situation” help show how the ideas relate. The warning also follows logically from the problem of choosing solely by price. Some connections could be more precise: “Therefore, we don't need to wait for a long time” is not fully clear about whether this refers to the subway or the transport system generally. The search paragraph also moves quickly from listing sources to the attached group link and room types. A clearer sequence—recommendation first, then supporting details—would make the progression even smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and includes useful accommodation and transport terms such as “brokers,” “agencies,” “shared or private rooms,” and “bus routes.” The tone is generally friendly and appropriate for an email to a friend. However, some expressions are imprecise or not quite natural, which limits flexibility and precision. “Got admission” would be more idiomatic as “were admitted” or “got accepted,” while “an hour's distance” is less natural than “about an hour away.” “Good frequency for the train and bus” is also awkward; “frequent train and bus services” is clearer. “Choose what suits you best” is understandable, but specifying the type of accommodation or search option would make the meaning more exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the relative clause in “a group that sends accommodation details” and the conditional-style explanation beginning “As everyone wants a home at an affordable price.” Many sentences are controlled and easy to understand, and punctuation generally supports the meaning. A few grammatical choices remain awkward. In “When I was in the program,” the time reference is unclear; “when I was studying at the university” would be more precise. “I have attached the group link to this letter, so you can find it here” combines two references that do not fit smoothly, and “we don't need to wait” shifts from your past experience to the present. Keep the time frame consistent and check sentence phrasing to improve accuracy.

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

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