Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-06

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 and Mrs Collins,

I hope you are doing well. First of all thank you for inviting me to Chris's birthday party. It's been ages since I met you guys. I sincerely appreciate the idea of surprise birthday party and trust me Chris would love it too.

Last time he got a surprise party was almost 3 years ago, our last year in high school. Chris was full of tears and laughing at the same time. It meant special for him to be loved by everyone. I am glad you guys are planning this party because I cannot wait to hear from you how was his reaction.

Saying this I would like to apologize that I won't be able to attend the birthday party. My final exams are going on. This is the last year of university and next two weeks are crucial for my grades and future.

Although I promise you guys that once I am finished with the finals, my first goal is to get a ticket and meet him. We could celebrate together and have a good time. I hope you understand my situation and let Chris know that I love him as a brother.

Best regards,

Harmanjot Singh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise, provided a valid reason for your absence (final exams), and proposed a concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, maintaining a friendly and respectful register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, fulfilling all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which aids readability. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'First of all', and 'Last time', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother; the phrase 'Saying this' is slightly unnatural in this context. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow and the structure is coherent.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task. Phrases like 'sincerely appreciate', 'crucial for my grades', and 'celebrate together' are used correctly. There are some minor issues with collocation and naturalness, such as 'It's been ages since I met you guys' (a bit informal) and 'It meant special for him' (should be 'It meant a lot to him'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the variety and precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'Last time he got a surprise party was almost 3 years ago' (missing 'that'), 'how was his reaction' (incorrect word order for an indirect question: 'what his reaction was'), and 'next two weeks are crucial' (missing 'the'). Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for minor articles would improve your score.

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

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