Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-18

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 writing this letter to apologize in advance for not able to attend the Chris's surprise birthday party on upcoming Saturday. I would also thankful for the invitation for the party.

I know Chris is going to be 18 and going to start his new journey of college as well and this is going to be very big occasion for him. As I know him since childhood he loves the surprises a lot even though it does not whether that are small or big. This party will bring different smile on his face and will definitely never ever forget it in his life.

I would love to see those glimpses on his face and be with him on that important day to his life but unfortunately I could not as on same day my grandfather's heart surgery is scheduled. As my father has important meeting on that, there is no possibility to postpone the meeting so he needs to go attend that meeting in Dubai which means all the responsibility came on my shoulders.

I would definitely come to meet you all once he will be back from his business trip.

I hope you understand my situation and please convey my message to Chris as well.

Yours truly,

Steve

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain why Chris would enjoy the party, provide a valid reason for your absence, and propose a plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, there is a slight confusion in the final paragraph where you mention a 'business trip' for Chris, which contradicts your earlier statement about him starting college. This minor inconsistency slightly affects the clarity of your narrative, but the overall task requirements are met effectively.

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 'As I know him', 'but unfortunately', and 'I hope you understand'. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. The flow between sentences is generally smooth, though the connection between the grandfather's surgery and the father's meeting in the third paragraph is slightly convoluted, making the reasoning feel a bit cluttered. Overall, the structure is easy to follow and the message is coherent.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'apologize in advance' and 'important day to his life' are functional. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'bring different smile on his face' (should be 'bring a smile') and 'does not whether that are small or big' (which is grammatically unclear). While you communicate your meaning well, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise vocabulary that would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'not able to attend' (missing 'being'), 'would also thankful' (missing 'be'), and 'does not whether that are' (incorrect structure). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors are frequent, they do not significantly impede the reader's understanding of your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of auxiliary verbs in complex sentences.

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

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