Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Collins,
Thank you for inviting me for the party! I'm excited for his 21st birthday, where he will be getting a surprise party from family and friends, generally he is the one to plan surprises. I would love to be a part of an amazing surprise party, but unfortunately, I have an important workshop to attend on 30th August, which is same day as Chris's birthday.
First of all, I recently got promoted to a supervisor position and my manager counts on me for the development of our next project, which requires an introductory training workshop certification. Me and my team is booked on that day to complete the learning. Consequently, I won't be available for the day. However, I will catch up with him on the next week-end, when we will hangout with our other college friends.
Once again thank you for the invitation!
Regards,
John
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, 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. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanation for the surprise party is more fully developed; for instance, you could elaborate on why Chris specifically enjoys being the center of attention or how he usually reacts to such gestures. Overall, the response is relevant and covers all requirements effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Consequently', and 'However' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the first and second paragraph is slightly abrupt. The paragraphing is sufficient, but the flow could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to connect the reason for your absence with the proposed alternative plan. The referencing is generally clear, though the structure of the second paragraph could be tightened to improve the overall progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'introductory training workshop' and 'development of our next project'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'getting a surprise party' (better: 'being given a surprise party') and 'hangout' (which is a noun/adjective; the verb is 'hang out'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. Expanding your use of collocations and more precise verbs would enhance your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'Me and my team is booked' should be 'My team and I are booked', and 'which is same day' requires an article ('the same day'). Additionally, 'on the next week-end' is slightly unnatural; 'next weekend' is preferred. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement and article usage. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy would improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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