Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 Patels,

I hope you are doing well. I am glad and thankful for this invitation card for Chris birthday party. I am sure he would be delighted by celebration as he always keen fascinated about spending quality time with friends and family. It would be a memorable party for him.

Unfortunately, I am sorry I would not be able to attend the party because I have my exams on the same day. Not only it very important examination, but also it will play vital role while choosing my career. I am very disappointed that I would not be able to join you.

However, after my exam will finish I will definitely plan surprise small gift for chris. I am planning to take him for dinner on cruise where he would enjoy having DJ party with different continental cuisines. Please keep it secret as I want to give him surprise.

Thank you very much for involving me in this celebration. I hope the party goes wonderful.

Best wishes,

Trina

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a valid reason for your absence, and proposed a specific alternative plan to meet him. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that you consistently use the correct names provided in the prompt (you addressed the letter to 'Mr and Mrs Patels' but the prompt specified 'Mr and Mrs Collins'). Additionally, ensure that your ideas are fully developed; for instance, you could have briefly mentioned why the exam is so critical to add more depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'Not only... but also' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by minor mechanical errors, such as the missing 'the' before 'Chris birthday party' and the slightly awkward phrasing in the transition between sentences. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the progression of ideas from the invitation to the apology and the alternative plan is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'quality time', 'memorable party', and 'continental cuisines' are used effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'keen fascinated' (which is grammatically incorrect) and 'plan surprise small gift' (which lacks necessary articles and prepositions). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word combinations. Expanding your repertoire of collocations and ensuring correct article usage would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the 'Not only... but also' construction. However, there are several grammatical slips throughout the text, including missing articles ('for Chris birthday party'), subject-verb agreement issues ('after my exam will finish'), and awkward phrasing ('he always keen fascinated'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly regarding articles, verb tenses, and sentence structure consistency.

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

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