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,
Hope you are doing well! I am Sam and very close friend of your loving son Chris. Last week I received your letter about the invitation for the Chris's 21st birthday party and I am glad that I got the invitation for this special event. Chris is going to be extremely delighted about this surprise as he was away from his town for 3 years because of his studies and came back to Australia after long time.
Unfortunately, I cannot be able to join Chris and his family on his birthday due to some personal family related issue. Actually, My grandfather was in hospital from last month because of adverse health concerns, there is no other family member is free to supervise him on that day and I had to take the responsibility.
I will be free after 1st of September and can come to see Chris on any day of the week. Thus, I was thinking to throw a small reunion party again for Collins family and myself on the day we unite.
I will be waiting for the response as soon as possible
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 successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a plausible reason for your absence, and proposed a concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, maintaining a polite and friendly register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the prompt, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your intentions. To reach a higher band, ensure that all details are fully integrated into the flow of the letter, as the transition to the explanation of your absence was slightly abrupt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'Actually', and 'Thus' to connect your ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes a bit mechanical or slightly misused, such as the transition in the second paragraph. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'the Collins family') is used more naturally to maintain cohesion throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using phrases like 'extremely delighted', 'adverse health concerns', and 'supervise him'. While these are effective, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'cannot be able to' (a redundancy) and 'throw a small reunion party' (which is slightly informal for the context). You have enough vocabulary to convey your meaning clearly, but incorporating more precise collocations or less common lexical items would help elevate your score. Your spelling is generally accurate throughout the letter.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am Sam and very close friend' (missing article), 'cannot be able to' (redundant modal usage), and 'My grandfather was in hospital from last month' (incorrect tense usage; should be 'has been'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article errors throughout. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of tenses for past and present situations will significantly improve your accuracy.
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