Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-17

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,

Hope you find this letter well. I was thrilled to hear from you after so long! I am really excited that you are throwing a surprise birthday party for Chris as he loves to party and he never misses the chance to do get together with friends and family.

unfortunately, I could not make it to the celebration this year as I have my midterm exams coming up and I have to prepare for them. As, this is my last year in college and the placements will be decided according to the final year marks. so i have to study very hard to obtain good marks and pass it with flying colors.

However, I will plan a visit to Chris after I am done with my exams, that is next month. I will inform you ahead of time when I can come and send you the tickets so you can track the timings of the flight.

With love,

Rishabh Rana

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a valid 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 well-developed and relevant to the task requirements. To reach a higher band, ensure that the transition between the explanation of your absence and the proposed visit is slightly more seamless, as the current structure feels a bit abrupt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the opening pleasantries to the explanation of the absence and finally the future plan. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate these distinct ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic. For instance, the transition 'As, this is my last year' is slightly awkward due to the unnecessary comma and the sentence fragment. Improving the variety of linking words (e.g., using 'consequently' or 'furthermore') would enhance the flow and help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'thrilled', 'placements', and 'flying colors'. The language is generally natural and appropriate for the context. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'do get together' (should be 'get together') and 'track the timings of the flight' (which sounds slightly unnatural; 'check the flight details' would be better). Expanding your range to include more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing would help elevate your lexical score.

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 slightly distract the reader. For example, 'Hope you find this letter well' should be 'I hope you are well'. There are also punctuation issues, such as the lowercase 'i' in 'so i have to study' and the unnecessary comma after 'As'. Additionally, 'pass it with flying colors' lacks a clear antecedent for 'it'. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and basic punctuation will help you demonstrate better control over your writing.

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

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