Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-29
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 regarding Chris surprise birthday party you planned.
As this is his first birthday celebration after he is graduated. So this will be a great moment for him to celebrate. And he has got his certificate as well. So, I believe he is going to love this surprise. I am going for my convocation next week and i apologize that i will not be able to attend this birthday party. As my college is in another city, so i have to travel over there and might have to spend one night over there and will be returning next day.
Moreover, I have some work while returning too. I will come to your home before Chris arrives and will handover gift to you. Although, i will help you in decoration and arranging his surprise party. I am going next month to Sydney and will meet Chris over there.
I hope you will understand my situation for not attending this time.
Yours lovingly
Simran
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a reason for your absence, and proposed a plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, some ideas are slightly underdeveloped; for instance, the explanation regarding your absence is a bit repetitive, and the plan to meet Chris could be more specific. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the requirements of the prompt are fully met.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'Although' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by short, choppy sentences, such as 'And he has got his certificate as well. So, I believe he is going to love this surprise.' Improving the use of transition words and combining these short sentences would enhance the overall flow and make the text feel more cohesive and natural.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using words like 'convocation', 'celebration', and 'handover'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'I am going for my convocation' (usually 'attending') and 'help you in decoration' (should be 'with the decorations'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it lacks the variety and precision required for a higher band score. Expanding your use of collocations would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and sentence fragments. For example, 'after he is graduated' should be 'after he has graduated', and 'I am going next month to Sydney' is slightly awkward. Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as the inconsistent capitalization of 'i' and the misuse of 'So' at the beginning of sentences. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the accuracy of your writing.
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