Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-05
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The parents of your Australian friend Chris have invited you to a surprise birthday party for him/her. Write a letter to Chris's parents. In your letter:
- say why you think Chris will enjoy the surprise party
- explain why you won't be able to attend the party
- give details of a plan to see Chris at a different time
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
Student answer (Band 6.0)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
I hope you all are doing great. I am so excited that you guys are planning a birthday party for Chris. I am so happy for him and he deserve all the happiness in his life.
He will be so happy to see a surprise birthday party on his 30th birthday. After so long, you all are together on his birthday, since he moved to Canada for his studies. I am so happy that you think about me and sent me an invitation to be a part of his surprise birthday party.
Unfortunatly, I will not be able to make it because I am going out of country for a few months to visit my family in America. I am sorry, I am not able to help you to arrange anything on his birthday.
However, I am coming back to Austarila before christmas, so I will make a plan to see Chris and I will take him on a dinner.
I hope you guys will understand, best of luck for his suprise birthday plan.
With Love,
Raji
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You address all three points: you explain that Chris will enjoy seeing everyone together, give your reason for missing the event, and suggest meeting after you return. The detail that it is his 30th birthday and that he moved to Canada makes the explanation personal and relevant. The absence is clear, although the plan to meet is less fully developed: “take him on a dinner” does not specify when or suggest a concrete arrangement. The apology and good wishes also suit the purpose of a friendly letter. To strengthen the response, make the alternative plan more definite—for example, propose a particular month and invite Chris to dinner—while keeping the explanation of why the surprise will delight him clear.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it opens warmly, explains why Chris will enjoy the party, gives your reason for not attending, and ends with an alternative plan and good wishes. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and “However” signals the shift from your absence to a future meeting. Some connections are less smooth or precise, particularly “After so long, you all are together on his birthday, since he moved to Canada for his studies,” where the relationship between the ideas is not entirely clear. Repeated references to “you all” and “I am so happy” also make the flow somewhat mechanical. Use clearer links and vary references, such as “his family” or “everyone,” to make progression more natural.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main message, and phrases such as “surprise birthday party,” “invitation,” and “visit my family” are appropriate to the task. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling or word-choice errors reduce accuracy: “Unfortunatly,” “Austarila,” and “suprise” are misspelled, while “going out of country” and “take him on a dinner” are unnatural expressions. “You guys” is understandable but informal for a letter addressed to your friend’s parents. Aim for more accurate, natural collocations and a slightly more polished register, such as “I’ll be travelling abroad” and “take him out for dinner.” These improvements would make the message sound more fluent and precise.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You use a mix of short statements and longer clauses, including “I will not be able to make it because…” and “I am coming back to Australia before Christmas, so…”. The meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. In “he deserve all the happiness,” the verb should agree with the singular subject (“he deserves”); “I am not able to help you to arrange anything” would be more natural as “help you arrange anything.” The sentence beginning “After so long” also has an unclear clause connection, and the final plan combines future intentions without a clear time reference. Review subject–verb agreement and build longer sentences with clear clause relationships. More consistently accurate control would strengthen the letter.
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