Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-06

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 hope all is well.

Thank you for inviting me for Chirs's birthday party.

I am writing this letter to inform you to exclusion of myself from Chris's surprise birthday party. I know, it does sound good, but I have a valid reason for this.

As far as I know Chris, he loves surprises and arranging a surprise birthday party is nothing less than a shock to him. One more reason why I think he will love it is that he may not have thought that he would be surrounded by his friends at middle of the night, and cutting the cake. This is going to be insane.

Coming on to the reason why I would not be able to attend it is that, I have my parents coming on the same day to visit me first time, and I will have to go to the airport to pick up them. I may get delay to returning back to the home.

However, I am completely free on coming weekend, and I also doubt if Chris has anything to do. Thus, If possible we can go to the nearest shopping mall where I would gift something to Chris which he likes, and also can go to the play station located in the same mall for a fun part of the day.

I hope you would understand and appreciate my efforts to make it happen on some other day.

Thank you and have a pleasant day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. 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 generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, although some phrasing is slightly unnatural. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanations flow more naturally; for instance, the transition to the reason for your absence could be smoother.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each focusing on one of the required points. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'Thus' to link your ideas. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical or awkward, such as 'Coming on to the reason why'. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the progression of ideas feels more natural rather than just following a list of requirements.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using phrases like 'valid reason' and 'pleasant day'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choice or minor errors, such as 'inform you to exclusion of myself' (should be 'inform you of my inability to attend') and 'get delay to returning back' (should be 'be delayed in returning'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over collocations and idiomatic expressions to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'pick up them' (should be 'pick them up'), 'at middle of the night' (should be 'in the middle of the night'), and 'visit me first time' (should be 'for the first time'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some minor errors in sentence construction. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions and phrasal verbs.

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

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