Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-08

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 7.5)

Dear Debbie,

I hope everything is going well with you. Thank you for asking me for advice regarding your career and future studies.

As you are living far away from the city, it would be really hard for you to commute to the college, and you would waste almost four hours every day. Also, you couldn't afford high living costs in the city. I would like to advise you work for a couple of years to save money for your tuition fee.

I know you are going through a tough time due to the financial responsibilities, and it was really heartbreaking to know about your father's accident. If I were you, I would find a job near my hometown where I can get experience as well, and it would be helpful to pay household bills. Besides, you can save money, when you become financially stable you can join your college.

The good thing is that you are intelligent and have great interpersonal skills. You can easily get a job as a customer service representative or as a receptionist. On top of that, you can look online work, where you will have flexibility to work.

I hope this helps. Let me know what you decide.

Best wishes,

Ronak.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You clearly explained why college might be difficult due to commuting and financial constraints, provided a logical argument for working, and suggested suitable roles like customer service or reception. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend, and your position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the long-term benefits of your advice, such as how gaining work experience might actually enhance their future college applications or career prospects, adding more depth to your well-structured arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the progression of ideas easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'Also', 'Besides', and 'On top of that' to link your thoughts. While the flow is generally smooth, the transition between the personal situation regarding the father's accident and the suggestion to work could be slightly more refined to ensure the shift from empathy to advice feels seamless. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and effective.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a semi-formal letter. Phrases like 'financially stable', 'interpersonal skills', and 'financial responsibilities' are used accurately. There is an attempt to use varied language, though some expressions are quite standard. To improve, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions that sound more natural in a friendly letter. For example, instead of 'waste almost four hours', you could use 'spend a significant portion of your day commuting'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly and precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'I would like to advise you work' (should be 'advise you to work') and 'you can look online work' (should be 'look for online work'). However, these errors do not impede communication. Your use of conditional structures ('If I were you, I would...') is accurate and adds variety to your writing. To reach a higher band, ensure consistent control over infinitive structures and prepositions, as these small slips occur occasionally throughout the text.

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

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