Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Hello Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

I feel happy for chris to get surprise him on his birhday from you.

I think this is the best time to surprise him because he will become twenty five on his birthday in next month. As he is living long distance from you, he will be more happy of your surprise plan to purchase a new bike. He wanted for such a long time and he is going to complete his dream, so I also want to part of this millstone.

However, I also want to join this precious moment but unfortunately I have to meet my parents because of important family meeting at my home. Therefore, I am not available for whole week and not able to his birthday party.

I promise to meet him immediately after returning to home at same week and I feel really sorry for not attending his birthday.

I hope you will understand my concern and again wishes him the best regards from my side to him.

Regards,

Vashisht Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a reason for your absence, and suggested a plan to meet him later. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation regarding the 'new bike' is a bit confusing and could have been more clearly linked to the surprise party. While the tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, the content is occasionally repetitive, and the purpose of the letter could be more clearly articulated in the opening paragraph. Overall, the task is fulfilled, but the ideas lack the depth required for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your message. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Therefore', and 'I promise'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between ideas could be smoother. For example, the jump from discussing the bike to your inability to attend is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'I also want to part of this millstone', where the connection to the previous sentence is weak. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'precious moment' and 'surprise plan'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'get surprise him', 'living long distance from you', and 'part of this millstone' (likely meant 'milestone'). These errors do not prevent understanding, but they do indicate a limited range and a lack of precision. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.

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, including issues with verb forms ('to get surprise him'), articles ('at same week'), and prepositions ('at my home'). Some sentences are also grammatically incomplete or awkward, such as 'I also want to part of this millstone'. While these errors rarely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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