Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-09

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 both are doing well. I'm so glad that you both invited me for the surprise party that have been arranged for him on his birthday. But I'm sorry because I will not be able attend the party on 20th due to a family emergency and am flying back to India from Sydney, Australia tomorrow.

I'm sure Chris would love this and will be so excited to see all his friends after a long time. Moreover, he likes surprises since childhood, I still remember how emotional he was once when we gifted him a watch from college on one of his birthdays.

I was so happy to receive your invitation and I already had a plan to surprise him. But I'm extremely sorry to say that I'll not be able to attend the party because my grand father passed away and I'm flying back to India in tomorrow's flight.

I'll be back only by the first week of December if everything goes well as planned. How about me throwing a pool party for him at my place? I'm sure he's going to love it. Please let me know what are your thoughts on this. Convey my warm wishes to him.

You both take good care and have a good day.

Yours lovingly,

Gokul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises and support this with the memory of the watch, give a reason for your absence, and suggest a pool party after your return. The personal example makes the first point convincing, while the proposed timing—“the first week of December”—gives the alternative plan useful detail. The main opportunity is to make the plan more definite: suggest a particular day or ask the parents to help arrange a suitable date. The reason for missing the party is also repeated in two paragraphs, so that space could instead develop the alternative arrangement. Overall, the letter fulfils its purpose and its ideas are relevant and supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter follows a recognisable format, and the paragraphs broadly group the invitation, Chris’s likely reaction, your absence, and the alternative plan. However, progression is weakened by repeating the same explanation: you first say you cannot attend because of a family emergency and are flying to India, then explain again that your grandfather has passed away and you are flying tomorrow. This repetition interrupts the flow. Some links also feel mechanical, particularly “Moreover” and “But” at the start of successive ideas. Organise the information into a clear sequence—thanks and Chris’s enjoyment, one concise explanation for your absence, then a specific alternative plan—and use references such as “this” or “the celebration” only when their meaning is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for a personal letter and includes some relevant, expressive choices, such as “surprise party,” “emotional,” “convey my warm wishes,” and “pool party.” These help communicate a friendly tone and the intended meaning remains clear. There are, however, several imprecise or unnatural expressions that limit flexibility and control. For example, “invited me for the surprise party” and “I already had a plan to surprise him” do not express the intended relationship as naturally as they could; the latter is also unclear because the plan is not explained. “Family emergency” is less precise than the later detail about your grandfather. Choose more exact collocations and avoid repeating the same idea so your vocabulary sounds more natural and purposeful.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the reason clause in “because my grand father passed away” and the conditional phrase “if everything goes well as planned.” Most meaning is understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. In the opening, “the party that have been arranged” has incorrect subject–verb agreement; “will not be able attend” is missing “to”; and “in tomorrow’s flight” uses an incorrect preposition. The sentence beginning “Moreover, he likes surprises since childhood” also needs a tense that expresses a continuing preference, and its comma splice should be corrected by joining the ideas or separating them. Proofreading verb forms, infinitives, prepositions, and sentence boundaries would improve accuracy while preserving your range.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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