Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05

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 was over the moon to hear about the surprise part for Chris on her birthday. He will be extremely happy as it has been long time that entire family is going to enjoy together as Chris was away from you from last five year completing his studies in abroad.

However, I would like to inform you that I will not be able to join you on this occasion. I just got my job posted in Northen part of Punjab and I am not entitled to take any leave for next few months.

I will definitely visit you and Chris after our project get competed and we will have grand success party for completion for my project.

Please accept My apology and inconvenience. I hope Chris will enjoy his surprise.

Please let me know if there is any way I can help is making arrangement for the birthday party.

Yours sincerely,

Gurjit Bagga

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a valid reason for your absence, and proposed a future meeting. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, there is a slight confusion regarding the gender of the friend (referred to as 'her' in the first sentence and 'he/his' later), which slightly impacts the clarity of the message. To improve, ensure consistency in your narrative details to avoid confusing the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use basic cohesive devices like 'However' and 'Therefore' (implied) to transition between ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some sentences feel slightly disjointed, such as the transition between the job posting and the inability to take leave. Using more varied linking words or phrases would help improve the flow. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different requirements of the task, which makes the letter easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using idiomatic expressions like 'over the moon'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'surprise part' instead of 'surprise party' and 'completing his studies in abroad' instead of 'studying abroad'. Additionally, 'get competed' is a misuse of the word 'completed'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and common English collocations to reach a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and prepositions, such as 'it has been long time that entire family is going to enjoy' and 'Northen part of Punjab'. The phrase 'help is making arrangement' contains a minor error ('is' instead of 'in'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions in your writing.

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

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