Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-26

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 Rui,

I hope you're doing well. It's been a long time since we spoke.

I received your letter yesterday regarding my advice on whether you should apply for a higher education or get a job instead. I would suggest a job. As you know all the colleges are far away from your hometown and you are not able to move to another city because of your housing situation due to this you will not be able to either focus or enjoy your studies to the fullest.

I believe you should apply for jobs directly because you have completed a 2 year diploma of Internet and Network Security along with Comptia+ certification in 2025. Most of the organizations prefer such knowledge rather than a degree itself and you will also gain a on-hand experience which will help in better job opportunities in the future.

Regarding the jobs, IT sector would be a perfect match for you due to relevant qualifications. You can apply for junior roles such as Data Analyst, Cybersecurity, and IT-Help desk.

I hope you find my advice useful and will able to make a right decision.

Yours truly,

Sukhman.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You provided a clear reason why college might not be enjoyable, explained the benefits of entering the workforce, and suggested specific IT roles. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and your position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure your arguments are slightly more developed; for instance, you could elaborate on how the 'housing situation' specifically impacts his ability to study, rather than just stating it as a fact. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each point, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Regarding the jobs' and 'As you know' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. For example, the sentence 'due to this you will not be able to' is a bit clunky; using a connector like 'consequently' or 'as a result' would improve the flow. Paragraphing is used correctly to separate the different ideas, which helps the reader follow your argument easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. You use topic-specific terms like 'higher education', 'diploma', 'certification', and 'IT sector' effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'on-hand experience' (the standard collocation is 'hands-on experience') and 'apply for a higher education' (usually 'apply for college' or 'pursue higher education'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is precise enough to communicate your ideas without any confusion. Expanding your use of collocations would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'will able to' (missing 'be') and 'due to this you will not be able to either focus or enjoy' (the 'either/or' structure is slightly misplaced). Punctuation is generally accurate, though some sentences could benefit from better comma usage to improve readability. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and your control of verb tenses is consistent. To improve, focus on ensuring auxiliary verbs are included and that correlative conjunctions are placed correctly.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.