Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

Hope you both are doing well. I am thankful to you for sending me an invite for Chris's 25th birthday party.

I am sure that he will be amazed and glad at the same time when he will come to know about a surprise birthday party for him. I know lately life has been really hectic for him as he is doing two jobs and barely gets time for his family or friends. This would be a perfect occasion for him to catch up with everyone.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make up this time because of my prior work commitments. Our office team is working on a project which has a submission deadline in the same week as the party.

However, I am planning to visit him soon, preferably near Christmas time as we both will have vacation from work and can spend at least a week together exploring Australia. I will update you, once we decide the dates and I book my flight tickets.

See you both soon.

With regards,

Neha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a logical 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, maintaining a polite and friendly register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task requirements. You have maintained a consistent focus on the purpose of the letter, ensuring the reader understands the situation clearly. No further development is needed as all requirements were met effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your ideas easily. You have used appropriate cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'once' to link your sentences and paragraphs. The transition between the explanation of your absence and the future plan is smooth. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall clarity of the message. The flow of information is natural and professional, fitting the requirements of a semi-formal letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly and naturally. Phrases like 'prior work commitments', 'hectic', and 'exploring Australia' demonstrate a good command of language appropriate for this context. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it is mostly standard. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions. However, there are no errors in word choice that impede communication, and the language used is consistently appropriate for the intended audience.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

Your grammar is generally accurate, and you have demonstrated a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. For example, the use of 'as he is doing two jobs' and 'once we decide the dates' shows a good grasp of subordinate clauses. There are very few errors; one minor point is 'make up this time' which should be 'make it' or 'attend'. Punctuation is used correctly throughout the letter. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the few minor slips do not cause any confusion for the reader.

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

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