Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-28
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 5.5)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
Thank you very much for inviting me on Chris's bithday party. i think that chris enjoy alot on their birthday party because he will enjoy alot with friends . he always like to celebrate their birthday with their friends.A surprise party will make their birthday more special and memorable because he loves to spend time with their family and friends.
Unfortunately, i will not able to attend the birthday party of Chris because i have an important family commitment on that day .so, i cannot miss that family commitment.I am really sorry that i am not attending the birthday party. I would really like to celebrate with Chris.
However, i would like to meet Chris on another time.I am planning to visit him on next weekend .We go together for lunch on his favourite restaurant and after that we will also go for watching movie together. I will also bring the birthday gift for him .
I hope Chris will enjoy alot with their family and friends.
Yours Lovingly,
Crissa
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explain why Chris would enjoy the party, provide a reason for your absence, and propose a specific plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive; for instance, you mention 'enjoy' and 'friends' multiple times in the first paragraph. To improve, try to vary your vocabulary and provide more specific reasons for why the surprise would be meaningful to Chris, rather than repeating the same sentiment.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, each addressing a specific requirement of the task. There is a clear progression of ideas from the invitation response to the excuse and the alternative plan. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition 'However, i would like to meet Chris on another time' is functional but basic. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with the inconsistent use of pronouns (e.g., 'their' vs 'he'). Improving the variety of linking words would help the flow of the letter.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely heavily on simple words like 'enjoy', 'party', and 'friends'. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'inviting me on' (should be 'to') and 'go for watching movie' (should be 'go to watch a movie'). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated collocations and avoid repeating the same basic verbs throughout the text. Spelling errors, such as 'bithday', also detract from the overall quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The letter uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. Common issues include capitalization errors (e.g., 'i', 'chris'), missing articles (e.g., 'on next weekend'), and incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'will not able to'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several instances of missing spaces after periods. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent capitalization will significantly improve your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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