Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-02

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have just read an article in an international travel magazine which contained some information about your town that is incorrect.

Write a letter to the editor of the magazine. In your letter

• correct the information in the article
• explain why it is important for the magazine to give correct information
• suggest what the magazine should do about this situation

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 8.0)

You have just read an article in an international travel magazine which contained some information about your town that is incorrect.

Write a letter to the editor of the magazine. In your letter

• correct the information in the article

• explain why it is important for the magazine to give correct information

• suggest what the magazine should do about this situation

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to address the incorrect information written about my town in your magazine.

I really appreciate your writing style. In your last article published in an international travel magazine you wrote about heritage sites located in the Gujarat, India. According to that article there is one heritage palace in my town. However, my town has no historical connection and certainly we do not have any ancient mansion in or around the town.

I have received calls from my friends who read your article and they asked me why I have not taken them to that renowned palace. That is why I believe it is essential for your magazine to provide accurate information, especially because it has a large number of readers. Readers are likely to trust the information published by a reputable travel magazine.

I suggest that you should write a follow-up corrected article and clarify regarding this misunderstanding. As there is no such palace in my town. However, you can appeal people to visit the town if they like to explore natural places as my town is surrounded by dense forest.

Hoping for positive response from your end.

Yours faithfully,

Mansi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly identify the error regarding the heritage palace, explain the importance of accuracy due to the magazine's reputation and reader trust, and provide a constructive suggestion for a follow-up article. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an editor. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. You have successfully maintained a consistent position throughout the response, ensuring all requirements of the prompt are met effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which aids readability. You use cohesive devices such as 'However', 'That is why', and 'As there is no such palace' to link ideas. While the transition between the second and third paragraph could be slightly smoother, the overall progression of ideas is logical and easy to follow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'reputable travel magazine', 'historical connection', and 'clarify regarding this misunderstanding' show a good command of language. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'appeal people to visit', which would be more naturally expressed as 'encourage people to visit'. However, these minor inaccuracies do not impede communication. You use a variety of words relevant to the topic of travel and journalism, which is appropriate for this task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and grammatically accurate. There are occasional errors, such as 'located in the Gujarat' (should be 'in Gujarat') and 'clarify regarding this misunderstanding' (should be 'clarify this misunderstanding'). Additionally, the sentence 'As there is no such palace in my town' is a fragment that should be joined to the previous or following sentence. Despite these minor slips, the majority of your sentences are error-free, and your control over grammar is generally strong.

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