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 Chris,

Hope you are doing well.

I am writing this letter to apologize for not being able to attend the party.

To begin with, I would like to explain the reson of not attending the birthday party of my best friend. We have had a great bond since childhood. Due to urgent work on the same day as the birthday party. I have already been assigned the shift, which is necessary to do. I am feeling really disappointed, as I would love to be there.

Moreover, Chris would enjoy the surprise party because he loves to spend time with family and friends. He will be excited to see everyone together to celebrate his special day.

However, I would like to meet him on another day, as I planned to visit him next weekend on Saturday afternoon. I have decided to go to his favourite cafe.

I hope you understand my situation and accept my apology. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Kind Regards,

Komal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a reason for your absence, and outlined a plan to meet him later. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, the explanation for why Chris would enjoy the party is quite generic. To improve, you could add more specific details about his personality or interests to make the letter feel more personal and engaging. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, maintaining a polite and respectful register throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'However' to transition between ideas. While these are effective, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the sentences within paragraphs are more tightly connected. The paragraphing is clear and appropriate for a formal letter, which helps the reader follow your message easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some functional phrases like 'urgent work' and 'special day'. However, there is a lack of less common or more sophisticated vocabulary that would elevate the response. There is also a minor error in the salutation, where you addressed them as 'Mr and Mrs Chris' instead of 'Mr and Mrs Collins'. Aim to incorporate more precise adjectives and collocations to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as the sentence fragment 'Due to urgent work on the same day as the birthday party.' This should be connected to the following sentence. Additionally, there is a spelling error ('reson' instead of 'reason'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence combining and proofreading for minor slips will improve your accuracy.

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

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