Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-27

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 4.0)

Dear XYZ,

I hope you are well.

I am writing this letter to give you a simple feedback about the area you are planning to go to. Heartiest congratultions on being offered the course as its one of its kind in the entire state.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 2.5

The opening establishes a friendly purpose and congratulates your friend, but the response does not yet answer the three required points. It gives no information about where you lived, offers no method for finding accommodation, and does not warn about common mistakes. The phrase “the area you are planning to go to” is also too vague to provide useful advice. The response is therefore only a minimal start to the task rather than a complete email. It is also substantially below the required 150 words, leaving no room to develop the requested details. Add a paragraph for each point, with specific examples such as the type and location of your student housing, where to search, and what to check before signing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The ideas are presented in a simple, understandable order: a greeting, a brief well-wish, the purpose of writing, and congratulations. This gives the opening a basic structure, and the reader can follow it without difficulty. However, the response ends before it develops into a complete email, so there is no progression through the three requested topics or paragraphing to distinguish them. The link between “give you a simple feedback” and “the area you are planning to go to” is also unclear because the area is not identified. To improve, organise the email into short paragraphs and use clear transitions such as “When I was studying there,” “To find a room,” and “One thing to avoid is…”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic purpose of the opening, with phrases such as “offered the course” and “entire state” conveying congratulations and enthusiasm. There is, however, little range because the response is very short, and some choices are unnatural or imprecise. “A simple feedback” is not idiomatic in this context, while “the area you are planning to go to” does not clearly refer to accommodation or the university location. “Heartiest congratulations” is understandable but sounds overly formal for an email to a friend. Use more natural, specific expressions, such as “some advice about finding accommodation” and “Congratulations on getting a place on the course.” Check spelling carefully, particularly in “congratultions.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The short response uses basic sentence forms that are generally understandable, including “I hope you are well” and “I am writing this letter…”. There is an attempt to use a longer clause in “as its one of its kind,” but the sentence is not fully controlled: it needs “it’s” (meaning “it is”), and the reference of “its” is unclear. The response shows little variety in sentence structure, so it does not demonstrate a broader range of accurate forms. The comma after “well” is appropriate, but the opening would benefit from clearer sentence boundaries and more varied constructions. For example, explain where you lived using a relative clause, then give advice with a conditional sentence: “If you book early, you’ll have more options.”

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

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