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 and Mrs Collins,
How you both are doing ? I received the invitation for Chris's surprise birthday party. I am extremely delighted to hear this news . He is the luckiest person to got the parents like you. I am quite sure , he will be astonished to saw this surprise and all his near ones together to celebrate his birthday party as he is very found of surprises.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you on his special day because of my mothers health. She is not doing well so I want to stay with her to full-fil her needs and to take care of her.
Guess what? I will be there next month on his convocation day to surprise him and I couldn't wait to eat the home made delicious food .Now ,I have to go .
See you next month!
Your truly,
Roop
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating the reason for your absence, and proposing an alternative meeting. However, the response falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the task achievement score. While the ideas are relevant and the tone is appropriate for a letter to friends of a friend, the development of the points is somewhat brief. To improve, you should expand on your ideas—for instance, by adding more detail about why you are excited to see Chris at his convocation or providing a more specific reason for your mother's health situation to ensure the letter feels complete and meets the length requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your message. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Unfortunately' and 'However' to transition between ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Now, I have to go,' which feels a bit abrupt. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect your sentences more smoothly. Ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and that the transition between the apology for missing the party and the alternative plan feels more natural and integrated.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using words like 'astonished,' 'delighted,' and 'convocation.' However, there are some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'got the parents' instead of 'have parents' and 'found of surprises' instead of 'fond of surprises.' These errors do not prevent understanding, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that your word forms are correct. Expanding your vocabulary to include more natural expressions for social correspondence would also be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You have several grammatical errors, such as 'How you both are doing?' (should be 'How are you both doing?'), 'to got the parents' (should be 'to have parents'), and 'to saw this surprise' (should be 'to see this surprise'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, pay closer attention to verb tenses and infinitive structures. Proofreading your work for basic subject-verb agreement and word order will help you achieve a higher score, as these errors currently detract from the overall quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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