Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-04

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 6.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I'm writing to let you know that I will be unable to attend this party because of some unforeseen circumstances.

I hope Chris will enjoy this party because this would be first surprise party after completion of her graduation. She always like to receive such parties especially birthday parties and like small gatherings with their relatives and friends.

Unfortunately, I can't attend this party because I have some personal commitments, and some assignments are pending at my workplace. Also, I'll joining a new firm next week and it is impossible for me to take off from work.

I will prefer to meet you next month at a new restaurant which opens nearby my house. We will have a coffee and spend the whole day together. Also, I want to discuss some important decision that I have taken related to my workplace.

I'm exciting to meet you soon.

With warm wishes,

Randeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a valid reason for your absence, and proposed a clear plan to meet later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation regarding why Chris would enjoy the party could be more descriptive to fully satisfy the 'well-developed' requirement of higher bands. Overall, the task is fulfilled effectively, and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing, where each paragraph addresses a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Also', 'Unfortunately', and 'However' to link your ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, the transition between the reason for absence and the plan to meet could be improved with more sophisticated linking words. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disconnected due to the repetitive structure of the opening phrases in each paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some relevant phrases like 'unforeseen circumstances' and 'personal commitments'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'receive such parties' (should be 'have' or 'experience') and 'which opens nearby' (should be 'which has opened'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to social events and professional life, and ensure that collocations sound natural to a native speaker.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'this would be first surprise party' (missing article 'the'), 'She always like' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'I'm exciting to meet' (should be 'excited'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage to improve your accuracy.

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

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