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 am writing to inform you that I have read your letter of invitation for Chris's birthday party. I greatly appreciate that you are inviting me. However, due to some personal reasons, I am unable to attend the party.

I think Chris will enjoy this party a lot, it will give hime a blast from the past memory later on. As I know him very well, he always loves surprises and gifts. I guess this would be a best moment for his life to have a surprise birthday party.

I regrettably sorry that I cannot attend a party because my grandmother has a health issue since last couple of months. My parents are not here with us so basically I am taking care of her.

I will definitely meet a Chris in a college in the upcoming semester starting from 1st August. I am also sending a beautiful surprise present for him on his birthday that can be a cherry on the top.

I appreciate that you are inviting me to the party. I am deeply sad that I won't be able to attend this party. Anyway, I know Chris will gonna like this party.

Please wish him a happy birthday from my side as well.

Kind regards,

Dharm Brahmbhatt

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a clear 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 appreciative register throughout. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your intentions. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanations are slightly more nuanced; for example, you could have elaborated more on why the specific surprise would be meaningful to Chris.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing, which helps the reader follow your train of thought. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'Therefore' (implied), but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. Some transitions, such as 'Anyway' in the final paragraph, are a bit informal for a letter to parents. Improving the variety of your cohesive devices would help the text flow more naturally and professionally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'blast from the past' and 'cherry on the top' are idiomatic, though 'blast from the past' is used slightly incorrectly in this context, as it usually refers to something from the distant past rather than a future memory. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'regrettably sorry' (which should be 'regrettably, I am sorry' or 'I am regretfully unable to attend'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise adjectives and formal expressions would enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'hime a blast' (spelling), 'a best moment' (article usage), 'has a health issue since last couple of months' (tense error), and 'Chris will gonna like' (incorrect verb construction). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage, especially when discussing timeframes, will significantly improve your accuracy.

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