Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-11

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 7.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I would not be able to attend chris's birthday party due to an unforeseen circumstance.

Hope you both are doing well. It is ecstatic to hear from you guys it is been a long time since we met. Chris just told me how dearly he misses you both. Furthermore, he is been too busy during the whole year due to the internship and university. I think the surprise that you have planned for him is a splendid idea. He would be so delighted and happy when he will come to know about this. Additionally, I beg your pardon as I would not be able to make it up for the party because of my passport appointment.

Although, I would not be able to make it up there but I have something special in my mind to do for Chris. Me and my couple of friends have talked about and have decided to meet him during the weekend for a movie night followed by dinner at the lion's pub.

I feel so sad that I would not be there during his special day. Please accept my heartfelt apology.

Yours faithfully,

Dev Desai

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a valid reason for your absence (a passport appointment), and proposed a concrete alternative plan to meet him. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, maintaining a polite and respectful register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task instructions, ensuring the reader understands the situation clearly. To reach a higher band, ensure that the opening and closing salutations match the formal or semi-formal tone consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'Although' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the opening and the body paragraphs is slightly abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be better connected to improve the flow. For instance, the transition from discussing the surprise party to your absence could be smoother. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, and the paragraphing is effective for this type of correspondence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'unforeseen circumstance', 'splendid idea', and 'heartfelt apology' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'make it up for the party' (which should be 'make it to the party') and 'It is ecstatic to hear from you', which is slightly unnatural in this context. While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, some collocations are slightly off. Expanding your range of natural-sounding expressions 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. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'he is been too busy' (should be 'he has been') and 'when he will come to know' (should be 'when he finds out'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and capitalization errors, such as 'chris's' (should be 'Chris's'). The use of 'Me and my couple of friends' is grammatically informal and should be 'My friends and I'. Despite these errors, the sentence structures are varied enough to maintain interest and do not impede communication.

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

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