Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-03

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 Jonas,

I hope you are doing well. I have received your invitation for Chris upcoming birthday party next month in Australia.

We all know that how much he loves to celebrate his birthday and surprises. I’m sure that he will be thrilled to get this surprise from you as this party is arranged on his favourite restaurant and all the friends and families will be there. This sounds so exciting and fun.

I regret to inform you that I will not able to attend this party this time as I’m on my business trip on the same day and will return after 2 days.

Moreover, I’m planning meet him on Christmas Eve which is close to give him a little surprise and celebrate Christmas with all of you.

I hope you don’t mind and understand the situation. I will see you all soon.

Warm regards,

Ravi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating your inability to attend, and proposing an alternative meeting. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the overall task achievement. Additionally, you addressed the letter to 'Mr Jonas' instead of 'Mr and Mrs Collins' as instructed in the prompt, which is a minor lapse in following instructions. To improve, ensure you meet the word count requirement and pay closer attention to the specific details provided in the prompt to ensure full task fulfillment.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each addressing a specific requirement of the prompt. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'I hope' to link ideas. However, the flow is somewhat mechanical, and the transition between the apology and the alternative plan could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a letter format, which helps the reader follow your message easily. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the progression of ideas feels more natural and less like a list of requirements.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'thrilled', 'regret', and 'invitation' correctly. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'arranged on his favourite restaurant' (should be 'at') and 'planning meet him' (missing 'to'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing will help improve your lexical range and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'I will not able to' should be 'I will not be able to', and 'Chris upcoming birthday' requires an apostrophe ('Chris's'). Additionally, 'I’m on my business trip' is slightly unnatural; 'I will be away on a business trip' would be better. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of auxiliary verbs to improve your accuracy.

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

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