Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-29

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 7.0)

Dear Mr Collins,

I hope you are doing good. I am writing to you to thank you for inviting me to Chris surprise birthday party. I feel so happy knowing that you are organizing a surprise birthday event for the Chris.

I think Chris will love this surprise because he loves to spend time with friends and family. Moreover, he loves surprises too. I am confident that getting surprised by all his friends on his birthday will make his day.

I have my final practical exam next morning, Friday, to the birthday, so unfortunately I won't be able to join you guys for the evening, but I am sure it will be a great time for everyone.

Luckily this will be my last exam and then I will love to visit Chris on the weekend post my exam ,spend some time with him and talk about how he felt after seeing everyone on his birthday. I will also bring his favourite cake with him for a small celebration.

Send my best wishes to Chris!

Yours Sincerely,

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a logical reason for your absence due to an exam, and proposed a concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, maintaining a polite and friendly register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task instructions, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your intentions clearly. You have fully met the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your message easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Luckily', and 'but' to link your thoughts. However, the transition between some sentences could be smoother to achieve a more natural flow. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the overall structure is coherent, making the text easy to read and understand.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task. You use appropriate phrases like 'organizing a surprise birthday event' and 'final practical exam'. While the vocabulary is functional and clear, it is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more precise or sophisticated collocations. For example, instead of 'I hope you are doing good', a more natural expression would be 'I hope you are both well'. There are no significant errors in word choice that impede communication, and the tone remains consistently polite.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I am confident that getting surprised by all his friends on his birthday will make his day.' There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'Chris surprise birthday party' (should be 'Chris's') and 'I will also bring his favourite cake with him' (should be 'for him'). Despite these occasional errors, your meaning is always clear, and the punctuation is generally handled well. The grammar is sufficient to convey your message without causing any confusion for the reader.

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

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