Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22
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 am willing to know you that this time you have planned a surprise birthday party for Chris. When I listened this I felt very happy because I know Chris from the childhood and he loves to enjoy parties with friends while singing, dancing, playing games due to this I think Chris really enjoy this surprise birthday party arrangements specially my his parents.
One more thing it is very hard for me to attend the party because this is my final semester due to this I need extra hard work to maintain my GPA to graduated even my final exams will also be in the same month so I am unable to attend this party. Along with this after completed my study I am also planning to visit Australia next year so I think it will be best opportunities for me to give surprise to Chris at that moment to celebrate his birthday from my side so I am trying to coming in the same month of Chris birthday. I hope you understand.
Best regards
Amandeep Kaur
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a clear reason for your inability to attend, and proposed a concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited by grammatical errors, which occasionally make the meaning slightly opaque. To improve, ensure that your explanations are more clearly linked to the context of the surprise party. Overall, you have fulfilled the requirements of the task effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is logically organized into paragraphs that correspond to the requirements of the task. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'One more thing' and 'Along with this' to transition between ideas. However, the flow is sometimes interrupted by awkward phrasing and run-on sentences, such as the long sentence in the second paragraph regarding your studies and future travel plans. Using a wider variety of linking words and breaking up overly long sentences would improve the overall flow and readability of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'surprise birthday party', 'final semester', and 'GPA'. However, there are several instances of unnatural word choice and collocation errors, such as 'I am willing to know you' (instead of 'I am writing to let you know') and 'listened this' (instead of 'heard about this'). These errors do not prevent understanding, but they do limit your score. Focusing on common collocations and more precise phrasing would help elevate your lexical range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with verb tenses ('I am willing to know you'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence fragments. For example, 'due to this I think Chris really enjoy' should be 'enjoys'. Additionally, there are errors in preposition usage and word order. While these errors rarely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall accuracy of your writing. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for verb forms would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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