Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Collins,

Thanks for inviting me to a surprise birthday party for Karish but unfortunately I have my ICEF exam scheduled on 30th August, 2026 for which I need to prepare and travel to Canada on 28th August.

I understand Karish have been struggling a lot in his business to manage everything and is occupied from long but he will surely enjoy this surprise party especially because he will get some time to spend at home with the family.

I wanted to come but due to my exam I have to be in Canada by 29th August and my ticket has already been confirmed now. As you guys are aware that I am interested to be an immigration officer in my career thus I have taken the decision to move to Canada permanently. Therefore, I need to prepare everything in advance and I am working on to do my packing and selling unnecessary furniture so that I will not have to worry about household stuff later.

I really apologies that I couldn't join you all this time but I will definitely try to plan my visit in upcoming summer so that I can enjoy the scenic beauty of Australia along with your home-cooked meals. As soon as I get vacation approved from my work, I will let you know about my plans to visit.

Thanks for your understanding.

Warm wishes,

Rajwinder

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 Karish would enjoy the party, provided a valid reason for your absence, and proposed a future visit. 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 context provided. To reach a higher band, ensure that the name of the friend is consistent throughout the letter, as you switched from 'Chris' in the prompt to 'Karish' in your response, which could cause slight confusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your train of thought. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'As soon as', and 'but', which help connect your ideas. However, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. Some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the connection between the exam preparation and the decision to move to Canada could be smoother to enhance the overall progression of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task. You use some good phrases like 'home-cooked meals' and 'scenic beauty'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'occupied from long' (should be 'occupied for a long time') and 'I really apologies' (should be 'I really apologize'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher level of precision. Expanding your repertoire of idiomatic expressions or more sophisticated collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Karish have been struggling' instead of 'has') and minor punctuation or tense inconsistencies ('I am working on to do my packing'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that verb forms are used correctly in complex constructions. The majority of your sentences are understandable, but more attention to detail in proofreading would reduce these frequent minor slips.

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

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