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 and I would like to congratulate you for this special day as Chris is getting 18 years old on this birthday.

I love this idea of organizing a surprise party for him as he likes surprises and he will be amazed to see his all school friends. Additionally, the arrangements on his 18th birthday that you guys have done are great. I wish I could be the part of this occasion but I have my enterance exam of masters on the same day that I can not avoid. I have been preparing for this test from last few months and I know, Chris will understand my situation.

We will plan for a short trip after my exam so that we can spend some time with each other. I would like to give my best wishes to him.

Yours lovingly,

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain why Chris will enjoy the party, state your inability to attend due to an exam, and propose a follow-up meeting. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, the plan to see Chris could be more specific regarding dates or locations to fully satisfy the requirement for 'details'. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the response is well-focused on the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used to separate the different points, which helps the reader follow your ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally' and 'so that', which assist in linking sentences. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Overall, the information is organized coherently, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'congratulate you for this special day' and 'avoid' are used correctly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'getting 18 years old' (should be 'turning 18') and 'be the part of this occasion' (should be 'be a part of'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher band. Using more precise collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'preparing for this test from last few months' (should be 'for the last few months') and 'his all school friends' (should be 'all his school friends'). Punctuation is generally accurate, but there are minor slips in article usage and preposition choice. The errors present do not cause confusion for the reader, but they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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