Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-30

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 6.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I am writing this letter to inform you that, due to some circumstances, I will not be able to attend the surprise party.

As I have seen the invitation card, it is based on the Spiderman theme. I am definitely sure that Chris will enjoy the party because he is a fan of him and he usually talks to me about the stunts Spiderman uses to perform in movies and series. So, I am pretty sure that he would love the surprise.

Moreover, I stated at the start of the letter that I would not be able to attend the party as there is a family emergency. But I will come to have get together will Chris when I complete my work.

I would join the party digitally through FaceTime. I will call you or Uncle before Chris gets his surprise.

Thank you so much for the invitation.

Yours lovingly,

Hasti Donga

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating your inability to attend, and proposing an alternative plan. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation regarding the Spiderman theme is a bit repetitive, and the alternative plan to 'have get together' is vague. To improve, try to provide more specific details about your future meeting, such as suggesting a specific day or activity, which would make the letter feel more natural and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, and the progression of ideas is clear. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'So' to link your thoughts. However, the transition between the explanation of the party and the apology for not attending is slightly abrupt. Additionally, the phrasing 'I stated at the start of the letter' is a bit mechanical and unnecessary; it is better to simply state the reason directly. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'family emergency' and 'digitally through FaceTime' are accurate and appropriate. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'have get together will Chris' (should be 'have a get-together with Chris') and 'stunts Spiderman uses to perform' (should be 'stunts Spiderman performs'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise adjectives and idiomatic expressions would enhance the quality of your writing and make it sound more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'he is a fan of him' (should be 'he is a fan of his'), 'I will come to have get together will Chris' (preposition and article errors), and 'stunts Spiderman uses to perform' (tense/structure issue). These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help you achieve greater accuracy in your future writing.

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