Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22

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 Sammie,

I received your letter and I really am sorry for taking this long to respond. Thank God you understand how busy my job could get. So yeah, to respond to your letter I would prefer you get a job than going back for Masters for obvious reasons.

Firstly, the cost of running a post graduate program has doubled and at the moment, you don't have a sponsor neither do you have enough money to fend for yourself. Secondly, your dad is currently sick and needs urgent medical attention. Now tell me, how do you intend to manage all these issues?

Being a First Class graduate is a great feat and I bet you are going to make it big in the job market. Getting a job is the most important thing you need right now because with enough money, you can be able to afford your father's hospital bills and see yourself through school. l'd suggest you start putting up applications with oil and gas companies in Lagos. With your qualifications and experience, you will be a great fit for the job. Aside that, the recently renovated power plant in Abuja published an advert for a Software Engineer. you could also try to see the Recruitment officer and drop off your CV.

You are smart and hardworking and I believe you will get the job. I can't wait to celebrate with you when you finally succeed. I'm rooting for you.

Lots of love,

Florence

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the task well. You successfully addressed why your friend might not enjoy college by highlighting financial constraints and family responsibilities, explained why getting a job is a good idea to sort out these issues, and suggested suitable roles such as positions in oil and gas companies in Lagos and a Software Engineer role at a power plant in Abuja. Your tone is appropriately friendly and conversational for a general training letter, maintaining a clear position throughout. Ideas are well-developed and supported with relevant examples, meeting all requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

Ideas are logically sequenced and easy to follow. You used clear paragraphing to separate different points, such as financial reasons against studying, the benefits of working, and specific job suggestions. Cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Aside that' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the letter, although the referencing is mostly straightforward. The progression of ideas is smooth and natural, fitting the informal yet persuasive context of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrated a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suitable for a general letter. Phrases such as 'post graduate program', 'medical attention', and 'First Class graduate' show good word choice. There are some slight colloquialisms or minor collocation slips, such as 'putting up applications' instead of 'submitting applications' and saying 'going back for Masters' instead of 'master's degree', but these do not impede communication at all. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate and supports the tone effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

There is a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and causative forms like 'with enough money, you can be able to afford...' and 'I bet you are going to make it big'. Grammatical control is generally strong with many error-free sentences. However, there are a few minor errors, such as 'than going back' instead of 'rather than going back' and a missing capital letter at the beginning of 'you could also try'. These occasional slips do not interfere with understanding.

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

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