Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-10

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 am writing this letter to express you that I am very grateful that you invited me for Chris's birthday party. It is a great idea to plan a surprise party because he love surprises. He is my best friend and we talk to each other on regular basis. We both know each other's interests. I would like to suggest you that you should definitely give him a classical branded watch as one of his birthday gifts.

I am feeling sad to tell you that I would not be able to attend this party as my final exams are going on and it is the most important part for me to be graduate. However, I am planning to meet all of you very soon and maybe next month after my exams. It has been a long a long time that we did not see each other.

I am very excited to see you guys next month.

Yours Sincerely

Navan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provide a valid reason for your absence, and propose a plan to meet later. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the suggestion to buy a 'classical branded watch' is slightly off-topic as the prompt asks you to write to the parents about the party, not to provide gift advice. While this does not significantly detract from the task, focusing more on the party arrangements would have been more relevant.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each addressing a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'because' to link ideas. To improve, you could use a wider range of linking words to connect sentences more fluidly. For example, the transition between the reason for not attending and the plan to meet could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You use some natural phrases like 'best friend' and 'on regular basis'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'express you' (should be 'express to you') and 'most important part for me to be graduate' (should be 'important for me to graduate'). Expanding your range to include more precise collocations would help elevate your score. The language is generally functional and appropriate for a semi-formal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'he love surprises' (subject-verb agreement), 'it has been a long a long time' (repetition/article usage), and 'that we did not see each other' (tense usage). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tenses will help improve your accuracy. The punctuation is generally correct, though the opening salutation is missing a comma.

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

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