Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-09

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 Aunty,

I am writing this letter to express my gratitude for inviting me to chris's surprise birthday party.

I am so thrilled to know about Chris's surprise birthday party. I still remember how he always complained about not planning a surprise for his birthday. Further, you mentioned that it is a theme party and he is very fond of this style of parties and hence, I feel he will be finally relieved and enjoy the most awaited party.

Unfortunately, I would be able to attend the party as my team have audit planned that week and as the team lead I must attend that and make sure that the audit is conducted smoothly.

However, we have plan to meet next month when I am coming to London for my cousins wedding Sonia on 2nd November. she is a good friend of Chris and you know her family well.

Thank you again for inviting and making me feel part of the family. Hope to meet you soon.

Thanks and regards,

Reshma

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have 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 concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, although the opening salutation 'Dear Aunty' is inconsistent with the instruction to begin with 'Dear Mr and Mrs Collins'. Ensure you follow the specific formatting instructions provided in the prompt to avoid minor task fulfillment issues.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraph breaks for each point. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Further', and 'Unfortunately' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition in the final paragraph regarding the wedding could be more tightly connected to the plan to meet Chris. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, and the letter maintains a consistent focus throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'express my gratitude', 'most awaited party', and 'conducted smoothly' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'audit planned' (should be 'an audit planned') and 'enjoy the most awaited party' (which sounds slightly unnatural). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more precise collocations would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'my team have audit' (should be 'has an audit'), 'I would be able to attend' (you likely meant 'would not be able'), and 'we have plan' (should be 'we have a plan'). Additionally, there are punctuation and capitalization errors, such as 'chris's' (should be 'Chris's') and 'cousins wedding' (should be 'cousin's wedding'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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