Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-13

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 6.0)

Dear Mr. Collins,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to let you know that I received your invitation,

Sadly, I won't be able to attend Chris's birthday party due to my university schedule. My exams are commencing two days before the celebrations therefore I won't be able to make it to birthday event. Though I haven't received the time table from the examination department but I asked the Coordinator and he told me the starting date for exams.

However, I and Chris are friends for five years now and we know each other very well. Chris always feels fascinated about surprise events and a special surprise event on his birthday arranged by his family will surely make him the happiest. Moreover, I am also planning to meet Chris next month after my semester comes to an end. I have arranged tickets for the newly opened them park for both of us. I request you to don't tell Chris about it. This will be a surprise for him.

I am hoping to hear from you soon about the birthday party.

Yours Truly,

Muhammad Ali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain why Chris would enjoy the party, provide a valid reason for your absence, and suggest a concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the opening salutation is inconsistent with the prompt's instruction to address 'Mr and Mrs Collins', as you only addressed 'Mr. Collins'. Additionally, the development of ideas is slightly repetitive in the second paragraph. Overall, the task is fulfilled effectively, but closer attention to the specific instructions provided in the prompt is necessary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on one of the required points. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'I and Chris are friends', which is grammatically non-standard and disrupts the natural progression. Paragraphing is used correctly to separate the different topics. To reach a higher band, ensure that transitions between sentences are smoother and that referencing (e.g., 'he' or 'it') is always clear and unambiguous.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'commencing', 'fascinated', and 'celebrations'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'feels fascinated about' (should be 'is fascinated by') and 'them park' (a spelling error for 'theme park'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your message clearly, it lacks the precision and natural collocation expected at higher bands. Expanding your use of idiomatic expressions or more sophisticated collocations would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I and Chris are friends' (should be 'Chris and I have been friends'), 'I request you to don't tell' (should be 'I request that you do not tell'), and 'the time table' (should be 'the timetable'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some issues with comma splices and missing articles. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to limit the score to a 6.0.

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

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