Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-04

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You work for an international company, and would like to spend six months working in its head office in another country. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

• explain why you want to work in the company's head office for six months
• say how your work could be done while you are away
• ask for his/her help in arranging it

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 7.0)

Dear Mr. Alex,

I am writing this letter to formally request an approval for a six-month secondment to work in company's head-office in New York, USA starting this December.

Working at headquarters would allow me to collaborate directly with the marketing team, gain deeper knowledge into our long-term strategic goals and bring valuable expertise back to our regional office.

I have made arrangements to cover all my responsibilities and hand-over made to Ms. Monika, who will look after my reportings, documents, client meeting etc. I have also updated the same with all our major clients, so all kind of communication will be directed to her.

I would request to put an initiate to arrange this transfer and support in facilitating the same. Please advise me the next step to get approval from HR and assist in connecting me with the New York marketing department manager.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am looking forward to discuss with you in further.

Yours Sincerely,

Manu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly explain the motivation for the secondment, provide a plan for coverage during your absence, and include a request for assistance. The tone is appropriate for a formal business letter. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands the purpose of the request. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail regarding the specific projects you intend to work on in New York to further strengthen the justification for the transfer.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task, which helps the reader follow your request easily. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'I have also' and 'In addition' (implied by structure), though the flow could be improved with more varied linking words. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body, and conclusion. The referencing is generally clear, though some minor improvements in transition between sentences would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using professional terms such as 'secondment', 'strategic goals', and 'facilitating'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'put an initiate' (which is non-standard) and 'look after my reportings' (which is slightly awkward). While these do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Using more precise business collocations would elevate the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'request an approval' (should be 'request approval') and 'discuss with you in further' (should be 'discuss this further'). Additionally, there are minor errors with articles, such as 'in company's head-office' (should be 'in the company's head office'). Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the grammar does not hinder the reader's understanding. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for small article errors would improve your score.

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

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