Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-26
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 6.0)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
I hope you are doing well. i am writing a letter regarding Chris birthday party that i am not able to attend due to some reasons. Thankyou so much for invitation.
Firstly, i think that i know Chris very well and Chris like surprises a lot . so, i believe that Chris is going to enjoy this party as Chris always get excited about her birthday she always said me that she want that someone will give surprise to her on birthday.
Secondly, i am so sorry i cannot attend the Chris birthday party as i have a exam on the same day and its like in the city which is 7 hours far away from us.
Finally, i would like to see Chris on this weekend after her birthday. As our city is holding a annual carnival for youth. so we are planning to visit there. i hope you will understand my situation. i hope you enjoy all.
Best wishes
jasmeet 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 | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a reason for your absence, and suggested a follow-up meeting. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation regarding your absence is brief, and the plan to see Chris could be more detailed. To improve, try to expand on your ideas with more descriptive language or specific details to fully satisfy the 'well-developed' requirement of higher bands. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, though it could be slightly more formal in its structure.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your ideas. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Finally' to structure your response. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'Chris always get excited about her birthday she always said me'). To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that pronouns clearly refer back to the intended nouns. Improving the transition between sentences will help your writing feel more natural and cohesive.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'surprise party', 'annual carnival', and 'situation'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'she always said me' instead of 'she always told me' and '7 hours far away' instead of '7 hours away'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoid repetitive sentence structures. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and adverbs would also help to make your writing more engaging.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('Chris like surprises', 'Chris always get excited') and article usage ('a exam'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing commas and incorrect capitalization of 'i'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. To improve, pay closer attention to basic grammar rules, such as third-person singular verb endings and the correct use of articles.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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