Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-18

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether to go to college or to try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job.

Write a letter to this friend. In your letter

• say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
• explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
• suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 7.0)

Dear Tim,

I hope you are in radiant health and best of spirits. I received your letter the day before yesterday and would like to give my suggestions.

In my opinion you should skip college this year and try to gain some valuable work experience before further commencing your studies. Since the March intake has fewer number of applications, class are mostly empty. Learners prefer to enrol either in fall or winter intake. Hence, I believe empty classrooms and cafeteria will result in a boring college life.

We always wanted to go to the university, didn't we? Most of the students prefer to gain some work experience before joining the tertiary studies. I believe you should apply for a job too. This will not only enhance your professionalism but will also help you to save some money for university fees.

Currently I am working in a pizza store as a manager. As I know you always had interest in finance domain, I would like to recommend you a job involving managing finance. There is an opening in my store for a cashier, if you are interested feel free to drop in your resume.

Hoping to see you soon.

Yours lovingly,

Achin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You provided a clear reason why college might be boring (empty classrooms/cafeteria), explained the benefits of working (professionalism and savings), and suggested a specific job (cashier). The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and your position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are slightly more developed; for instance, you could elaborate on how the 'March intake' specifically impacts the social experience of college students, as the current explanation is a bit brief. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Since', 'Hence', and 'not only... but will also', which help connect your ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the sentence 'We always wanted to go to the university, didn't we?' feels slightly disconnected from the previous paragraph's focus on the March intake. Improving the flow between these ideas would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using phrases like 'radiant health', 'valuable work experience', and 'tertiary studies'. These choices are appropriate for the context and show a good level of control. There are a few minor word choice issues, such as 'fewer number of applications' (which should be 'a smaller number of applications' or 'fewer applications') and 'finance domain' (which would be more natural as 'the finance sector'). Despite these small slips, your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly and with some style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as 'class are mostly empty' (should be 'classes are') and 'I would like to recommend you a job' (should be 'recommend a job to you'). Additionally, 'if you are interested feel free to drop in your resume' requires a comma after 'interested'. While these errors are present, they are non-systematic and do not impede communication. Your control over sentence structure is generally good, and you successfully use a variety of forms to express your advice.

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

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