Letter advising a friend visiting your city
This is a model answer written to show what a Band 7 response looks like against the marking criteria. It is a worked example, not a graded submission. To see your own band, paste your writing into the free checker.
The prompt
A friend is planning to visit your city for the first time and has asked you for some advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- say what your friend should see and do
- advise them on the best time to visit
- explain how they can get around the city
Band 7 model answer (184 words)
Dear Marco,
It was fantastic to hear that you are finally coming to visit my city. I have been hoping you would come for ages, and I promise you are going to love it here. Let me give you a few tips to help you plan the trip.
There is so much to see, but do not miss the old town, with its narrow streets and lovely little cafés, and the castle on the hill, which has the best views of the whole city. If the weather is good, we can spend an afternoon by the river, where the locals go to relax at weekends.
As for timing, try to come in late spring if you can, because the weather is warm but the streets are not yet packed with tourists. Getting around is really easy: the trams run everywhere and are cheap, so you will not need to hire a car. Just buy a weekly travel pass when you arrive and you can hop on and off all week.
Let me know your dates once you book, and I cannot wait to show you around.
Take care,
Elena
Why this reaches Band 7
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Task Achievement
All three bullet points are covered: what to see and do, the best time to visit, and how to get around, each given real detail rather than a single line.
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Coherence and Cohesion
The letter flows naturally from a warm opening to advice to a friendly close, held together by an easy, personal tone.
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Lexical Resource
Relaxed, natural language suited to a friend, such as "do not miss the old town", "packed with tourists" and "hop on and off", used accurately.
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Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A comfortable mix of structures, including conditionals ("If the weather is good"), appropriate for an informal letter, with very few errors.
The one fix to reach Band 7
Informal letters slip to Band 6 when they ramble warmly but forget to answer the task, or open too formally. To reach Band 7, keep the friendly tone but still cover all three bullet points clearly, here the sights, the timing and the transport.
Now check your own answer.
Paste your own attempt at this prompt and Examinerly names the single criterion keeping you below your target band, and shows the sentence-level fix. We never inflate your band.
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