Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-16

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 5.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you are doing well.I very happy to know that you are organizing a surprise party for Chris.

As you guys do not live together and you are specially coming for his birthday to give him a surprise. He will definitely enjoy this one as he always talked about family and how much he miss spending time together. For this reason he will enjoy his birthday surprise.

Unfortunately, I am not able to be there as my final exams are on the same date and I am also way behind for my grades so, it is important for me to be prepare for an exam.

I am planning to come and visit Chris on my summer vacation as we are planning to go for a tracking.

Thank you for your warm welcome.Give my birthday wishes to Chris.

Yours Sincerely

Sam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating why you cannot attend, and proposing an alternative meeting. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the development of your ideas. While the reasons provided are relevant, they are somewhat brief. To improve, you should expand on your ideas—for example, by describing the 'tracking' (trekking) trip in more detail or elaborating on why the exams are particularly stressful. Because the response is under the word count, it does not fully meet the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing for each point. You use basic cohesive devices like 'For this reason' and 'Unfortunately' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by informal phrasing and some awkward transitions between sentences. For instance, the second paragraph starts with 'As you guys do not live together', which is a bit abrupt. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider range of linking words and ensure that your sentences flow more naturally into one another to create a smoother narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for a semi-formal letter, but it lacks variety and precision. You rely on simple phrases like 'I very happy' (which also contains a grammatical error) and 'do not live together'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as using 'tracking' when you likely meant 'trekking'. To improve, aim to use more sophisticated collocations and avoid repetitive language. Using more descriptive adjectives and varied verbs would help convey your message more effectively and demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are several grammatical errors that affect the clarity of your writing. For example, 'I very happy' is missing the verb 'am', and 'he always talked about family and how much he miss' should be 'misses'. Additionally, 'be prepare for an exam' should be 'be prepared'. While you attempt some complex sentences, the frequency of these errors is noticeable. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that you are using the correct verb forms. Proofreading your work for these basic errors would significantly improve your score.

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

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