Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-03
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 to say thank you for invited me to a surprise birthday party for Chris but unfortunately I won't be able to attend it.
Chris will enjoy such a suprise birthday party because he loves suprises. It is his 25th birthday, so give him a car as a suprise gift would be more appropriate. When we talked with each other, he always talked about different cars, therefore he would love this gift.
Unfortunately, I have my IELTS exam on the same day of a birthday party, so I won't be able to attend the party and I have already booked a date, thus I need to give the exam.
After exam, I am planning to visit Australia as I have a visitor visa so in a couple of months I will meet Chris, and in advance I delivered a gift for him.
I am looking forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Hardik
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
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 outlined a plan to meet him later. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For example, the suggestion that the parents should buy him a car as a surprise gift is slightly illogical in the context of a birthday party invitation, as it shifts the focus away from the event itself. To improve, ensure your ideas are more relevant to the context of the letter. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, though it could be slightly more formal.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on one of the required points. You use some cohesive devices such as 'therefore', 'unfortunately', and 'as', which help the flow of the letter. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the connection between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the mention of the IELTS exam and the plan to visit Australia is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that ideas flow more naturally from one to the next 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. You use words like 'unfortunately', 'appropriate', and 'in advance' correctly. However, there are some spelling errors, such as 'suprise' (should be 'surprise') and 'invited' (should be 'inviting'), which occur multiple times. Additionally, some word choices are slightly repetitive. To reach a higher band, focus on eliminating spelling mistakes and try to incorporate more precise or sophisticated vocabulary to describe your feelings or plans, rather than relying on basic sentence structures and common adjectives.
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 that occur throughout the text. For example, 'thank you for invited me' should be 'thank you for inviting me', and 'same day of a birthday party' should be 'same day as the birthday party'. There are also issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall accuracy of your writing. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and preposition usage.
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