Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-15
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 Mrs collins,
I hope you are doing well. Yesterday I got your invitation about Chris birthday. It's great to hear that you are going to organize surprise birthday party for him. I hope he will enjoy your plan because he always like surprise gifts. When we were in college at that time we always planned surprise party for each others.
Unfortunately, I could not attend this party because I have an appointment at a doctor. which is not possible to cancel. In addition to this, my exams are going on and I have to manage my study and health together.
Next month after my exams I have two weeks holidays and I know Chris has also vocations at that time. We can make a plan to get together at that time.
I hope you can understand my problem. I would highly regarded your invitation. I will catch you soon.
Best wishes.
Jag
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a clear 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 relevant and clearly expressed, fulfilling the requirements of the task effectively. To improve, you could expand slightly on the 'why' regarding Chris's enjoyment of surprises to add more depth to your response, but overall, the task is fully covered.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In addition to this' and 'Next month' to transition between ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect sentences more fluidly. For instance, some sentences feel slightly disjointed. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure follows a standard letter format, which helps the reader follow your message easily. Strengthening the use of cohesive devices would elevate this score.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using words like 'appointment', 'organize', and 'invitation' correctly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'I would highly regarded your invitation' (should be 'regard') and 'Chris has also vocations' (should be 'vacation'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring word forms are used correctly in context. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives would also be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'Chris birthday' (missing possessive 's'), 'surprise birthday party' (missing article 'a'), and 'at that time we always planned' (slightly redundant). Additionally, there are punctuation issues, such as starting a sentence with 'which' after a period. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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