Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-26

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 7.5)

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

I hope you are both absolutely doing well. Thank you very much for inviting me to chris's surprise birthday party.

I am certain chris will assure enjoy the party because he loves spending time with friends and his family. He is also very fond of surprise, and i know he will be not only delighted to see everyone gathered together to celebrate his special day but also this occasion will create wonderful memorises for him.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend because i have an impotant professional examination scheduled on the same day. The exam was arranged several months ago, and it is essential for my career, so i cannot postpone it.

However, I would still love to celebrate chris's birthday . I am planning to meet him the following weekend and take time out for dinner at his favourite restaurant. Moreover, I have also bought him a small gift, which i hpe he will like.

Please wish chris a very happy birthday on my behalf. I hpe you all have a fantastic celebration.

Your sincerely,

Hani Prajapati

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a valid reason for your absence, and offered a concrete alternative plan to meet him. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, maintaining a polite and warm register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your desire to celebrate with Chris despite your scheduling conflict. The response is fully on-topic and meets the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your narrative easily. You have used cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Moreover', and 'Unfortunately' to link your sentences and paragraphs effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. While the flow is generally smooth, ensure that you maintain consistent paragraph breaks to enhance readability. Overall, the structure is coherent and the information is presented in a logical, easy-to-follow manner.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'delighted to see everyone gathered' and 'essential for my career' are well-chosen. There are a few minor spelling errors, such as 'memorises' instead of 'memories', 'hpe' instead of 'hope', and 'impotant' instead of 'important'. While these do not impede communication, they slightly detract from the overall polish of the letter. To reach a higher band, focus on proofreading for these small slips and try to incorporate a few more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions appropriate for a friendly letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of 'not only... but also' and 'because' clauses. Most of your sentences are clear and grammatically sound. However, there are some recurring errors, such as the lack of capitalization for 'Chris' and 'I', and a few minor slips like 'he will be not only delighted' (should be 'he will not only be delighted'). Despite these occasional inaccuracies, your meaning is always clear, and the errors do not cause difficulty for the reader. Increasing your attention to punctuation and capitalization will help improve your accuracy.

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