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 great today.

I read your letter, which shows about how curious you are about surprise birthday party of Chris. Chris and I are friend since kindergarten and I know that how like he surprises. This kind of act not only surprise him but also help him to make great memories.

I am very pleased that you called me for his birthday party but I am feeling bad to say that I am going out of the town for my job interview next week. So, I may not be able to attend his birthday celebration.

However, I have an alternative idea to meet him after his birthday party. As we know, he loves to play video games and also he is going to graduate next month. I have decided that at his graduation, I would meet him and give him a PlayStation as gift. He is more like an younger brother to me.

I request you to keep my plan secret and celebrate a great birthday of him.

Thank you,

Harman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a valid reason for your absence (a job interview), and proposed a concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. To reach a higher band, ensure your ideas are slightly more developed; for instance, you could elaborate on why the specific gift of a PlayStation is particularly meaningful or how you plan to coordinate the meeting at his graduation. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets all task requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task, which helps the reader follow your ideas easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'As we know' to connect your thoughts. To improve, try to vary your linking words further and ensure that referencing is always precise. For example, in the second paragraph, 'This kind of act' is a bit vague; specifying 'a surprise party' would improve clarity. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You use some natural phrases like 'doing great' and 'keep my plan secret'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'I know that how like he surprises' (should be 'I know how much he likes surprises') and 'called me for his birthday' (should be 'invited me'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise adjectives and idiomatic expressions would help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'Chris and I are friend' (should be 'friends'), 'help him to make great memories' (should be 'help him create'), and 'an younger brother' (should be 'a younger brother'). These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing in future tasks.

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