Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Collins,

I am really glad to have received the invitation of Chris's surprise birthday party, unfortunately, I'm not able to attend the celebration.

I would like to appreciate that you are going to surprise him with the party, which he definitely going to enjoy as he loves the surprise parties. I remember, when I gave him he was amazed and full of joy.

I apologize that I'm not able to come to the party, as my final exams are in the same week, which I cannot afford to miss, because these exams complete my final semester for my graduation. I believe you can understand my situation.

However, I intend to visit him after my results are available, giving me a peace of mind. I am going to surprise him with the sudden visit. I will stay for a week in which we will have fun and make memories by roaming around various places.

Yours faithfully,

Prince.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a clear reason for your absence (final exams), and proposed a plan to meet him later. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the development of ideas is slightly limited; for instance, the explanation of why he enjoys surprise parties is a bit repetitive. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are expanded with more natural detail, such as mentioning specific interests of Chris that would make the party particularly special for him.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'as', which help the flow of information. However, the transition between the opening and the first body paragraph is a bit abrupt. Additionally, some sentences are slightly disjointed, such as 'I remember, when I gave him he was amazed and full of joy,' where the reference is unclear. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'appreciate', 'intend', and 'graduation'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'roaming around various places,' which sounds slightly informal or unnatural in this context. You also have some repetitive phrasing, such as using 'surprise' multiple times in close proximity. To improve, try to use a wider variety of synonyms and ensure that your collocations—words that naturally go together—are more precise to convey your message with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'which he definitely going to enjoy' is missing the auxiliary verb 'is', and 'I gave him he was amazed' is grammatically incomplete. There are also issues with punctuation and article usage, such as 'the invitation of Chris's surprise birthday party' (should be 'to'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to hold the score at this level. Focus on subject-verb agreement and sentence construction.

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

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