Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-19

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 7.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

Thank you for inviting me to Chris surprise birthday party. I know he will be extremely delighted to see you both on his special day.

I am glad that Chris’s wish is going to come true because he was quite emotional when he shared nostalgic moments of his last birthday celebrating with you both back home. Similarly, he was expecting your presence on his 20th birthday too but he was thinking about the travelling expenses. However, I am happy that you both are here in Toronto to join him.

Due to some unfortunate situation back home, I will be travelling to my home country to console my parents and look after them for a week time since they are going through some family emotions. I really wish I could join on his birthday to cheer him and make a lot of fun.

Finally, I had planned some surprising dinner party after I am back on next week Friday. I would feel more happy if you both also can join this moments.

I hope you enjoy his birthday party and hope to see you all soon.

Yours sincerely,

Anjali Reddy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, 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 warm register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the context provided. You have fully satisfied the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your message easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Similarly', 'However', and 'Finally' to link your thoughts. While the flow is generally good, some transitions could be smoother; for instance, the connection between the second and third paragraphs could be improved to better bridge the shift from the birthday celebration to your personal situation.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'nostalgic moments' and 'unfortunate situation' are used effectively. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'family emotions' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'make a lot of fun' (which should be 'have a lot of fun'). Expanding your range of collocations and idiomatic expressions would help you reach a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'Chris surprise birthday party' (missing possessive 's), 'a week time' (should be 'a week's time'), and 'join this moments' (should be 'join these moments'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and possessives.

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

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