Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-08
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 6.5)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
Its glad to hear from you. I am very excited to be invited to chris's surprise birthday party. Eversince we were kids, chris always wanted to have surprises on his birthday and this will be his best birthday till date, as he adores something totally out of blue. the theme is totally about is recent interest is sports which he will admire. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the party as on the same weekend, I have to attend the company's annual dinner and I am the incharge of the event organisation. My apologies in advance, I really wanted to join but my office commitent does not allow me to join you.
Moreover, I am going to have my annual leaves in december so, I am planning to meet chris when I am back in hometown, where I can re-celebrate the birthday and will apologize in person as well.
Looking forward to an amazing party and meeting you guys soon.
Warm regards,
Hira Idrees.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You address all three points: you explain that Chris enjoys birthday surprises, give a reason for missing the event, and suggest meeting in December. The explanation that the sports theme reflects his recent interest also helps make the invitation feel personal. This meets the task well, but some details are not fully developed: for example, “when I am back in hometown” does not specify a date or a clear arrangement for seeing Chris. The reason for your absence is understandable, though you could make the commitment and its timing more explicit. To strengthen the response further, develop the alternative plan with a proposed day or activity and explain more clearly why the surprise will appeal to Chris.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter follows a clear progression: you respond to the invitation, explain why Chris will enjoy the party, decline, and then propose a later meeting. Linking expressions such as “Unfortunately” and “Moreover” help signal the change in purpose, and the closing is appropriate. The ideas are generally easy to follow, although the opening moves quickly from excitement to the party details, and the long paragraph combines several functions. The connection between taking annual leave in December and meeting Chris could also be made more direct. Use separate paragraphs for the party, your apology, and the alternative plan, and choose transitions that show the precise relationship between ideas rather than relying on general additions.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
Your vocabulary is adequate for this personal letter, and phrases such as “surprise birthday party,” “annual dinner,” and “in person” communicate the main ideas. You also attempt more expressive wording, including “totally out of blue,” but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision. Examples include “Its glad to hear from you,” “the theme is totally about is recent interest is sports,” and “office commitent.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, but they make parts of it less fluent. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling and word forms. For instance, “I’m delighted to hear from you” and “the theme reflects his recent interest in sports” would express your meaning more clearly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You use both simple sentences and longer structures, including the explanation beginning “as on the same weekend” and the plan introduced by “when I am back.” The overall meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “Its glad to hear from you” is missing a subject and uses the wrong form; “Chris always wanted” needs a more suitable tense in this context; and “the theme is totally about is recent interest is sports” has faulty clause structure. There are also issues with articles and sentence boundaries. These errors show that complex ideas are being attempted, but control is not yet consistent. Practise forming complete clauses and checking tense, agreement, and punctuation in longer sentences.
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