Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-20
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 5.5)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
I hope you both are doing wonderful.
I am writing regarding invitation of Chris birthday party. The main purpose of this letter is not able to attend the party.
To begin with, I hope so Chris will enjoy thier surprise party. The main reason for this is that you both are decide grand celebration for Chris birthday pary and it is really lovable for him. I really wanted to meet Chris after long time.
In addition, I am not able to attend the party because I have to go for business trip at the same time. It is also worth mentioning that I feel unhappy about it. Therefore, I would like to share some gifts for Chris, hope so Chris like it.
Finally, me and Chris will decide to plan make a trip at a different time. I would be grateful if you could accept my apology. I would be happy to enjoy Chris birthday party.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this matter. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours faithfully,
Olivia
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating your inability to attend, and proposing an alternative meeting. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation for why Chris will enjoy the party is quite vague ('it is really lovable for him'). To improve, you should provide more specific details about Chris's personality or interests to show why this surprise would be meaningful. Additionally, the tone is occasionally inconsistent with a friendly letter to a friend's parents, particularly in the opening and closing statements, which feel slightly formal or mechanical.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'Finally' to structure the response. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed due to grammatical errors, such as in the sentence 'The main purpose of this letter is not able to attend the party.' The use of referencing is also occasionally unclear, making the progression of ideas feel mechanical rather than natural. Improving the transition between your apology and the proposed alternative meeting would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant phrases like 'business trip' and 'earliest convenience'. However, there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'you both are decide grand celebration' and 'share some gifts'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit your score. To reach a higher band, focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring that your word forms (e.g., 'invitation of' vs 'invitation to') are accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('you both are decide'), missing articles, and incorrect verb forms ('me and Chris will decide to plan make a trip'). While these errors rarely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency of the letter. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, particularly subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions and auxiliary verbs.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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