Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-25

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 7.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to express my feelings towards your invitation. When I heard that you are planning to arrange the surprise party for Chris, I got very excited.

I know that it is very special day for him because it is his 25th birthday. I am pretty sure that he never imagined about this event. I read that you held the party in an expensive resort. Not only he likes party but also enjoy games as well that you arranged.

Unfortunately, I have an important exam of my college on the next day, so I won't be able to come in the party. I know that he will be disappointed once he will know about this. But I will meet him after I done with my exam. Furthermore, I already ordered a precious gift for him and I am sure he will love it.

Thank you for your understanding and I will see him soon.

Best wishes,

Rutu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a clear reason for your absence (a college exam), and suggested a plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the 'why' regarding Chris's enjoyment—for example, mentioning specific personality traits or interests that make him a fan of surprise parties. Overall, the response is clear, relevant, and fully meets the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately,' 'Furthermore,' and 'But' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical. To improve, try to vary your transition words and ensure that the progression of ideas feels more natural. Paragraphing is used correctly, which helps the reader follow your message easily. The overall structure is sound and serves the purpose of the letter well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. You use some good phrases like 'express my feelings' and 'precious gift.' However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'held the party in an expensive resort' (should be 'at') and 'come in the party' (should be 'to'). To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and slightly more sophisticated vocabulary to describe your plans and feelings. The current range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'he never imagined about this event' (should be 'imagined this event'), 'Not only he likes party but also enjoy' (should be 'Not only does he like parties, but he also enjoys'), and 'after I done with my exam' (should be 'after I am done'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do show a need for more consistent control over verb tenses and sentence construction.

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