Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Collins,

Thank you for writing to me to invite to Chris's birthday party. I am very excited for his big day. I am also very sure that it will be a grand celebration as it is not just a surprise party but also celebration of his victory in Football tournament and it's a New Year's Eve!

The theme of the birthday too is wisely chosen which is FIFA World Cup. I have a small requested regarding this theme please do organize a small friendly match between all the guests at the end of party.

The only sad part in all this is i won't be able to join the party as I will be travelling to New Zealand with my parents for New Year, but i will for sure meet Chris in New Year before our classes resumes.

I hope everyone enjoys this occasion to their fullest and do take a lot of pictures. Will see you guys soon.

Yours Faithfully

Jax

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a valid reason for your absence, and proposed a plan to meet him later. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, although the closing 'Yours Faithfully' is slightly formal for this context; 'Best regards' or 'Sincerely' would be more natural. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands the situation clearly. You have successfully met all the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'The only sad part' and 'I am also very sure', to link your ideas. However, the paragraphing could be improved; the second paragraph is quite short and could be integrated or expanded. Additionally, some transitions are a bit mechanical. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the reader can easily follow your message from the opening to the closing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message effectively. Phrases like 'grand celebration' and 'wisely chosen' show an attempt to use more descriptive language. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'I have a small requested' (should be 'request') and 'before our classes resumes' (should be 'resume'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate that your control over more complex lexical items is still developing. Expanding your range of collocations would help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'invite to Chris's birthday' (should be 'invite me to'), 'celebration of his victory in Football tournament' (missing articles), and 'before our classes resumes' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally acceptable, though there are some inconsistent uses of capitalization and missing articles. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.