Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I am very grateful that you have invited me to Chris's surprise birthday party. I am sure that he will really enjoy it because he loves surprises and like to spend time with his family and close friends. Definitely he will be amazed to see everyone gathered together for his birthday celebration.

Unfortunately, I am unable to attend his celebration because I have an important family commitment at that day which I can not miss. I apologize for not joining the party, but I hope you will give best wishes to Chris from my side.

However, I would like to meet Chris on another day with another birthday surprise. Apart from this, I am planning to meet him on dinner and celebrate his birthday personally. I am curious to see Chris's reaction on getting unexpected surprise.

Thank you again for inviting me and I hope Chris have this wonderful birthday and an unforgettable memory.

Yours faithfully,

Anjali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in 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 appreciative register throughout. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your intentions. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanations are slightly more detailed; for instance, you could have specified the nature of the 'family commitment' or suggested a specific venue for the dinner to make the plan feel more authentic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task, which helps the reader follow your train of thought easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'Apart from this' to link your sentences and paragraphs. While the flow is generally good, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is always smooth. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the opening and closing salutations are correct.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. You use phrases like 'family commitment', 'unforgettable memory', and 'amazed to see everyone gathered' effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'at that day' (should be 'on that day') and 'give best wishes' (should be 'convey my best wishes'). While you successfully communicate your message, the vocabulary is somewhat functional. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common lexical items to show a greater degree of flexibility and sophistication in your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to understand. However, there are some grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement ('he... like to spend' should be 'likes to spend') and prepositional errors ('meet him on dinner' should be 'meet him for dinner'). Additionally, 'I hope Chris have' should be 'I hope Chris has'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and preposition usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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