Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Hello dear parents,

I have heard you are goin to throw surprise party for Chris its a very great thing.

Here I would like to tell you since Chris is my very good friend and very close to me amongst all friends I can say that he likes surprises. So its like when he enters the house suddenly just put a entry song and put sparkle paper all over him. That will be the most shocking and surprise party of his life.

Very sadly I have to inform you that apparently I wont be able to attend the birthday party, reason I have an appointment with the dentist and I can not change my date because i am having this tooth pain for a very long time.

But yes I have different plan to meet him the next day and I know how to make him happy. So I will give him a gift which he likes the most that is Play station so wont get upset with me and so his very dear to me so he will understand.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explain why Chris would enjoy the party, provide a reason for your absence, and suggest an alternative meeting plan. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat simplistic. For example, the suggestion for the surprise party is quite informal and lacks detail, and the explanation regarding the dentist appointment is a bit repetitive. To improve, ensure your tone is consistently appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, as the current tone fluctuates between overly casual and slightly awkward. The ideas are relevant, but they could be expanded with more sophisticated reasoning to better meet the requirements of a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. Phrases like 'But yes' and 'So its like' are informal and do not effectively link ideas in a sophisticated way. The transition between the reason for missing the party and the alternative plan is abrupt. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and phrases such as 'Furthermore,' 'Unfortunately,' or 'As a result' to create a smoother flow between sentences and paragraphs. The overall structure is logical, but the internal cohesion needs more attention to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple descriptors like 'very good,' 'very close,' and 'very dear.' While these words convey your meaning, they do not demonstrate the range required for a higher band. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'put a entry song' and 'sparkle paper,' which are not natural English expressions. To improve, focus on using more precise vocabulary, such as 'festivities' instead of 'party' or 'unavoidable commitment' instead of 'appointment.' Expanding your range of adjectives and adverbs will help you express your ideas with more nuance and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. For instance, there are missing articles ('a surprise party'), run-on sentences ('...for Chris its a very great thing'), and issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and apostrophes (e.g., 'wont' instead of 'won't'). To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb forms.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.