Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25

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 Collin’s,

Thank you so much for the invitation. It’s really generous to invite me at Chris’s surprise birthday party. I think Chris will love this party as he have shared with me that he loves surprises. Especially on his birthday, inviting all his friends and family members would make him feel very special.

I would have really liked coming to his birthday party, but unfortunately I won’t be able to attend it as I recently started a new role at the dental clinic as a Front Desk receptionist. I have been working around the clock. It’s been intense! I am not complaining, it’s a lot of fun. Due to my hectic schedule, I won’t be able to attend the part.

Could you let me know of another time I can visit him? Because of slow season, I can come around new year or later in winter, if you are available. I would certainly like to enjoy this winter with you’ll.

I can’t wait to hear from you.

Kind regards,

Tamanna

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt effectively. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a logical reason for your absence, and proposed a specific alternative time to meet. 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 task requirements. To reach a higher band, ensure that all parts of the prompt are balanced; your explanation of the alternative meeting time is slightly brief compared to the other sections, but overall, the task is fully satisfied.

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 message easily. You use cohesive devices such as 'especially', 'due to', and 'because of' to link your thoughts. However, the transition between the explanation of your new job and the final request could be smoother. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes a bit mechanical. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the flow and help you achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using phrases like 'hectic schedule' and 'working around the clock' effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'invite me at' (should be 'invite me to') and 'you'll' (which is an informal contraction of 'you will' and inappropriate here; you likely meant 'you all'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for the higher bands. Attempting more varied collocations and ensuring accurate preposition usage would strengthen this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical slips that prevent a higher score. For example, 'he have shared' should be 'he has shared', and 'attend the part' is a typo for 'attend the party'. Additionally, the opening salutation 'Mr and Mrs Collin’s' is incorrect; it should be 'Collins'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to suggest a lack of full control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for minor typos will help improve your accuracy.

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

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