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 Collins,

I hope you are doing well. I am happy to hear that you are going to organising a surprise birthday party for Charis and have invited me to attend it. Unfortunately I am unable to come there due to my professional duties.

Chris will definitely enjoy surprise party. I remember an incident from college, when I arranged surprise party for Chris and he was amazed by all decorations, the welcome and beautiful gifts. Additionally, he loves surprises, hence this surprise birthday party will make his day more special and memorable.

Actually, I have to go to London in order to attend business meetings and spend four days there. Therefore, I will not be present during grand birthday celebration, because I cannot send another employee in my place for important conferences, being a manager it is my responsibility to contribute for progress of my company and prioritize my professional responsibilities.

I will plan ten days holidays in Australia for spending time with Chris next month and dining out in our favourite restaurant. Moreover, we will explore natural locations together and click some beautiful pictures.

I hope you send my warm wishes to Chris on his special day. Once again, I am sorry for unable to attend my best friend's birthday party.

Thank you for your invitation.

Yours sincerely,

Twinkle

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the party, 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 respectful register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your desire to celebrate with Chris at a later date. The letter fulfills all requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your narrative easily. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Therefore', and 'Moreover' to link your sentences and paragraphs. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. However, the overall structure is sound, and the use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, ensuring that the information is presented in a coherent and easy-to-follow manner.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'professional duties', 'memorable', and 'contribute to the progress'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'going to organising' (should be 'going to organize') and 'unable to attend' (used correctly, but the sentence structure 'sorry for unable to attend' is grammatically awkward). While you use some good collocations, there is room to incorporate more sophisticated or precise vocabulary to elevate the writing further. The current range is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly without any significant confusion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'going to organising' and the missing article in 'arranged surprise party' (should be 'arranged a surprise party'). The phrase 'sorry for unable to attend' is also grammatically incorrect; it should be 'sorry for being unable to attend'. Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the majority of your sentences are constructed correctly. The use of punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors do not impede communication, which is a key factor for this band level.

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

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