Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28

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 Charles,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you to advice you about whether to go to college or to try to get a job.

In my opinion, taking into consideration your financial and family condition, I would suggest you to try securing a job. As you mentioned in your letter that your family is financially struggling to meet the expenses of your mother's medical treatment, it is a high time to step forward to support your family.

I do not think that in such an intense situation, you'll enjoy going to college. Furthermore, you will also need a financial aid to support your educational expense. You and your family already have a lot of debt to repay so this isn't an ideal situation to add more to it.

You're a very talented and sharp-minded person. You managed to acheive exceptional grades in school so I believe that there will be a lot of opportunities for you. You always mentioned to me that you wanted to pursue your career in law and this is the best time to take a step, as a lot of top-tier law firms have opened their apprenticeship applications. I would advice you to apply for these roles. These firms just look for sensible and smart people, what I strongly believe you already are.

These law firms will pay you high salary and also support your college's financial expenses. Therefore, this is a golden opportunity for you. You'll be able to support your family and complete your college at the same time.

I wish you a very best of luck for your future.

Many thanks,

Asad

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response covers all parts of the task effectively. You successfully addressed why Charles would not enjoy going to college due to his difficult financial and family situation, explained why getting a job is a good idea to support his family and mother's medical treatment, and suggested a suitable type of job by recommending legal apprenticeships at top-tier law firms. The tone is appropriate for a friendly letter, maintaining a supportive and clear position throughout. All bullet points are well-developed and extended logically, making this a strong performance that fulfills all task requirements seamlessly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

Ideas are logically sequenced and progress naturally from discussing the dilemma to offering the recommendation and outlining specific job opportunities. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct paragraphs handling the introduction, financial reasoning, personal suitability, and final encouragement. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', and 'As you mentioned' are used effectively to guide the reader through the text without being intrusive. Referencing is clear throughout, contributing to a smooth and coherent overall arrangement that meets the criteria for a high band.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a sufficient and generally flexible range of vocabulary suited to the task. You effectively used less common lexical items such as 'financial and family condition', 'intense situation', 'top-tier law firms', and 'apprenticeship applications'. While there is a minor spelling error ('acheive' instead of 'achieve') and a couple of minor word choice issues (such as writing 'to advice' instead of 'to advise' as a verb), these do not impede communication. The overall control of vocabulary allows for precise expression of ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over structures such as conditional and participial clauses ('taking into consideration your financial and family condition', 'As you mentioned in your letter that your family is financially struggling'). There are some minor grammatical errors, notably confusing the verb 'advice' with the noun/verb 'advise' ('I am writing to you to advice you' and 'I would advice you to apply'), and an unnecessary article in 'a high time'. However, the majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is well managed, ensuring meaning is never obscured.

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