User-written IELTS example

Writing General Training Task 1 Band 9.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

186 words General TrainingTask 1Letter

Task 1 Letter

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

Explain the absence briefly.
Make a specific, limited request with practical instructions.
Give contact details without exposing a real personal number.

Suggested structure

Use a polite personal greeting.
Explain your plans and request.
Give practical instructions.
Explain contact arrangements and close.

Useful vocabulary & examples

look after: take care of someone or something
Could you look after my plants while I am away?
be away from home: stay somewhere else temporarily
I will be away from home for several days.
get in touch: contact someone
Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Answer analysis

Task Achievement

Gives the reason, a precise request and usable contact arrangements.

Tone

Polite conditional language suits a neighbour the writer knows, without becoming as informal as a close-friend letter.

Task Prompt

You need to be away from home for several days. Write a letter to a neighbour you know. Explain why you will be away, ask them to look after something at your home, and explain how to contact you. Write at least 150 words.

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 9.0

Dear Ms Taylor,

I hope you are well. I will be away from Monday until Thursday next week to attend a training course in another city, and I wondered whether you could help me with a small favour while I am gone.

Would you be able to water the plants on my balcony once, preferably on Tuesday evening? I have left a watering can beside the balcony door, and each pot needs only a little water. There is no need to look after anything else. If you are happy to help, I can bring a spare key to you on Sunday and show you where everything is.

You can contact me on my usual mobile number throughout the trip. I may not be able to answer during the course, which runs until five o’clock, but I will check messages during the breaks and call you back as soon as possible. I have also written the number on a note by the door.

Please do not worry if this is inconvenient. I appreciate you considering it and will make other arrangements if necessary.

Kind regards, Alex Morgan

Targeted Improvement Tips

If the dates are known, replace “next week” with the specific dates so your neighbour can plan more easily.

Keep the request easy to act on by retaining the frequency, preferred day and location details together, as you do for the balcony plants.

When arranging access, state the proposed key handover clearly and keep a polite alternative in case your neighbour cannot help.

Result

AI Feedback

Overall Band

9.0

Excellent

Words

186

Type

Letter

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

9.0 Band

The letter fully addresses the request: “to attend a training course in another city” explains the absence, and the request to water the balcony plants specifies when and what to do. It also gives two ways to manage contact, including the usual mobile number and the note by the door. The polite offer to make other arrangements completes the message well. As an optional refinement, you could state the exact dates if you know them.

Coherence & Cohesion

9.0 Band

The information follows a clear, reader-friendly sequence: reason and dates, plant-care instructions, contact arrangements, then a courteous closing. For example, “Would you be able to water the plants” introduces the request before the practical details about the watering can and key. The paragraphs each have a clear purpose, and transitions are natural. For further polish, you could make the Sunday key handover stand out as a separate practical step.

Lexical Resource

8.5 Band

The language is precise and suitably courteous, with useful phrasing such as “a small favour,” “once, preferably on Tuesday evening,” and “as soon as possible.” These expressions make the request and arrangements clear without sounding demanding. Vocabulary is appropriately natural rather than showy. To broaden the range slightly, you could vary one repeated reference to “the course” or “the trip,” while keeping the wording as clear as it is here.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

9.0 Band

The answer uses accurate, varied sentence structures, including the polite indirect question “I wondered whether you could help me” and the time clause “which runs until five o’clock.” Punctuation and verb forms are controlled throughout, and the sentences are easy to follow. No correction is needed for accuracy. For an optional stretch, you could combine one short practical detail with a conditional clause, while preserving the letter’s current clarity.

Topic Band Distribution

Band 9.01 examples

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Ideas to explore

Suggested structure

Answer analysis

Task Achievement

Tone

Task Prompt

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Targeted Improvement Tips

Enhanced Essay