Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs collins,

hope your are doing great. And i have heared about your family vacation last month ,i belive you and chris enjoyed a lot. I am writing this to inform you that i would not able to come for the surprise party as i have a business trip to hongkong which will take 2 weeks.

firstly let me say he will enjoy the surprise party because ,when we were pursuing the degree course he told me once he have not got any celebrations like this while attending vishnus birthday. I will also plan to give a surprise gift for him to stand on my presence. hope he will enjoy it .

and another good new jis i planning to make a job transfer to your city .so i think i can see him in the coming month which will give him another surprise.

yours sincerely ,

joseph

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating your inability to attend, and proposing a future meeting. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation regarding why Chris would enjoy the party is a bit vague and could have been expanded with more descriptive language. Additionally, the tone is quite informal and lacks the appropriate level of politeness expected in a letter to a friend's parents. To improve, ensure that your ideas are fully extended and that the tone remains consistently respectful and appropriate for the intended audience.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. Phrases like 'firstly' and 'and another good new jis' (which contains a typo) feel a bit forced. The transition between ideas could be smoother. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your sentences flow logically from one to the next. Additionally, ensure that your paragraphing is consistent and that each paragraph focuses on a single, clear topic.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There are several spelling errors, such as 'heared' instead of 'heard', 'belive' instead of 'believe', and 'hongkong' which should be capitalized. The phrase 'stand on my presence' is unnatural and does not convey your intended meaning clearly. To improve, focus on using more precise vocabulary and pay closer attention to spelling and standard collocations. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and formal expressions would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('he have not got'), capitalization ('collins', 'i'), and sentence structure. The use of punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and periods. While you attempt to use complex sentences, they are often marred by these errors, which can occasionally make the text difficult to follow. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and standard punctuation rules. Proofreading your work for these common errors before submitting will significantly improve your score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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