Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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 7.5)

Dear Raina,

Hope you are doing well. I was so happy to receive your letter after such a long time. I feel honoured you have asked for my advice regarding your next career move.

I would suggest that you should try to get a job rather than going to college all over again after 5 years. At this age, when you are a mom too, you would not enjoy going to college with a bundle of responsibilities in your head. Moreover, you were already a topper student in college and have a good hands-on-experience in accountancy work. Your previous work experience will open numerous oppotunities for you in the job market. This will help you maintain a balanced life with your family and child.

Also, as you mentioned, that your husband is not so secure financially, your earnings will help you both to become more stable. This will increase your lost confidence in your skills because of career gap as well as strengthn your profile for future opportunities.

I really believe in your capabilities and would suggest you to look for a job in accountancy which is your niche.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Yours lovingly,

Nandita Gandhi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all parts of the task prompt in a natural and engaging manner appropriate for a general training letter. You clearly explained why Raina might not enjoy college due to her numerous responsibilities as a mother and her prior academic background. Furthermore, you provided strong reasons for getting a job, specifically touching upon financial stability and rebuilding her confidence after a career gap. Finally, you successfully suggested a suitable type of job by recommending accountancy, which matches her niche. The tone is consistently friendly, supportive, and appropriate for writing to a friend. Your ideas are well-developed and fully supported throughout the letter, meeting all the requirements of the task efficiently and clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

Your letter is logically organised with a clear beginning, middle, and end, following the standard conventions of friendly correspondence. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as your reasons against college in the second paragraph and the benefits of employment in the third paragraph. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Moreover', 'Also', and 'This will help', which guide the reader smoothly through your arguments. Referencing is clear throughout the text, ensuring that pronouns and ideas relate directly back to Raina's situation. The overall progression of your thoughts is easy to follow and very well managed.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suited to the task, including natural phrases like 'next career move', 'bundle of responsibilities', and 'hands-on-experience'. There are occasional minor spelling and lexical errors, such as 'oppotunities' (opportunities) and 'strengthn' (strengthen), as well as a slight collocation slip in 'topper student' (top student). However, these minor issues do not impede communication, and you successfully incorporate less common items like 'financial stability' and 'career gap' to discuss the topic precisely. Your word choices successfully convey empathy and practical advice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using relative clauses and conditional structures naturally, such as in 'At this age, when you are a mom too, you would not enjoy going to college...'. The majority of your sentences are grammatically accurate, showing good control over tense and agreement. There are a few very minor grammatical slips, such as the unnecessary comma in 'Also, as you mentioned, that your husband...', but these do not interfere with the clarity of your message. Punctuation is generally accurate, and your control over complex structures easily satisfies the criteria for this band level.

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

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