Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27

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 Mrs Collins,

I hope you all are doing well, I am glared to hear that you have organized a surprise birthday party.

I think you catch Chris off-guard and he will be delighted to see all of the family members together with a pleasant gift. As we were not able to celebrate his previous birthday due to covid complications, he will be extremely happy to celebrate this time.

Unfortunately, i will not be able to attend the party as I have to visit my parents in india. My mother is scheduled for Hip replacement surgery so it is mandatory to meet and stay with her.

I will surly meet Chris in following month of his birthday. We have planned to visit Nigra fall as Chris told me its a great place to visit. See you in January.

If you need any help regarding the party do let me know and i will be more that happy if you could share photos of the birthday party.

Yours sincerely,

Omkumar Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating why you cannot attend, and proposing an alternative meeting. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, while you mention the surgery, providing a bit more detail or a more formal expression of regret would enhance the response. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the message is conveyed effectively throughout the text.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately' and 'If you need any help', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the opening and the first body paragraph is slightly abrupt. To improve, ensure that your sentences are linked more smoothly using a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect your ideas within paragraphs, as some sentences feel like a list of statements rather than a cohesive narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'complications', 'mandatory', and 'scheduled'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'glared' instead of 'glad' and 'surly' instead of 'surely'. Additionally, 'Nigra fall' is a spelling error for Niagara Falls. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a wider range of precise vocabulary to reach a higher band score. Focus on using more natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I hope you all are doing well' (word order), 'I am glared to hear' (incorrect word), and 'in following month' (missing article). Capitalization errors are also present, such as 'india' and 'i'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent use of articles and capitalization.

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

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