Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-05

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 Collins,

I appreciate your invitation for Chris' birthday party, as it will be a surprise party. I would be very happy to attend it but unfortunately I won't be able to attend it.

I believe that he would be very happy for this party as he always said that he was expecting to have a party with his parents. Especially on his 18th birthday you are organising this party.

I want to be a part of this surprise event but unfortunately I won't be able to attend it, as my mother is admitted to the hospital and I am the only one looking after her.

However, I will be visiting him on next weekend after my mother gets discharged from the hospital. But I would say that don't let him know that I will be visiting him as I am also planning to give him a surprise and will be gifting him his favourite headphones, as he wants them badly but is not willing to spend much money on them.

Wish him a happy birthday on my behalf and I hope you understand the reason behind not joining the party.

Regards,

Adam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. 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. However, the opening salutation was slightly inaccurate as you addressed 'Mr Collins' instead of 'Mr and Mrs Collins' as instructed. Additionally, the development of the ideas is clear, though the explanation regarding the headphones could be slightly more concise to maintain a more formal flow.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'as', to link ideas. However, the progression between sentences is occasionally a bit repetitive, particularly with the phrase 'unfortunately I won't be able to attend it', which appears twice in the first and third paragraphs. Using a wider variety of transition words or referencing back to the invitation more fluidly would improve the flow and coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'admitted to the hospital' and 'on my behalf' are used correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'expecting to have a party' (should be 'looking forward to') and 'on next weekend' (should be 'next weekend'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions that would elevate the response to a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'I appreciate your invitation for Chris' birthday party' (should be 'to'), and 'I would say that don't let him know' (should be 'please don't let him know'). The use of articles and prepositions is occasionally inconsistent. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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