Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Mr Khan,

I hope you are in good spirits. I am writing to express my deepest regret for being unable to attend Chris's surprise birthday party. I was genuinely looking forward to the getaway, but unforeseen circumstances have made it impossible for me to attend.

First of all, thank you for inviting me to his birthday party, I glad that you are arranging this party without telling him, as we all know he likes surprises. I remember a time when I gifted him a watch, and he was not aware of the gift and the smile I saw on his face was so amazing. I hope he will like your presentation of the party, Although, I am not sure that you are planning for his surprise party and if I know this a week before, I will definitely attend it, now I am going to meet my family and I already booked my tickets for India next week to see my grandfather as his health is not good these days and he is in his 92. I hope you understand.

I sincerely apologize for missing the important party and time to spend with whole family. I promise when I will come back, we will arrange a family party for him and I am thinking to get something for him from India. Thank you very much once again.

Kind regards,

Kraru.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a reason for your absence, and proposed a plan to meet him later. However, there is a significant inconsistency in the opening: you addressed the letter to 'Mr Khan' instead of 'Mr and Mrs Collins' as instructed. Furthermore, the tone is slightly inconsistent; while you attempt a polite, formal tone, the phrasing 'I am not sure that you are planning for his surprise party' is confusing and contradicts the premise of the task. To improve, ensure your opening matches the prompt exactly and maintain a consistent, logical flow throughout your explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into three paragraphs, which is appropriate for a formal letter. However, the logical progression within the second paragraph is weak. The transition from discussing the surprise party to your travel plans is abrupt. You use some cohesive devices like 'First of all' and 'However,' but the connection between sentences is sometimes mechanical or confusing, such as the run-on sentence starting with 'Although, I am not sure...'. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each sentence follows logically from the previous one would significantly enhance the clarity of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using phrases like 'unforeseen circumstances' and 'sincerely apologize.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'presentation of the party' is not a natural collocation in this context, and 'important party' sounds slightly unnatural. You also rely on some basic phrasing. To reach a higher band, try to use more precise collocations and avoid repetitive structures. Expanding your vocabulary to include more idiomatic expressions suitable for a letter would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Issues include comma splices (e.g., '...birthday party, I glad that...'), incorrect verb tenses ('if I know this a week before, I will definitely attend it'), and awkward phrasing ('he is in his 92'). There are also errors in subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While your meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering conditional sentences and ensuring consistent verb tense usage.

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

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