Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-07

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 hope this letter find you well uncle and aunt. Yesterday, I got your letter and thank you so much for inviting me for Chris surprice birthday party. As I know him he loves surprices and he is always exited about his birthday. Moreover this is his 25th birthday, so it is special day for him and I heard you book a Mayur restaurat for the party with music theme because he is obsessed with music.

I am apologizing to you because currently, I am studying for compitative exams and his birthday is on 22nd august and i have an exam on 23rd august at 8:00 a.m. and I have to reach at exam center before an hour ,so I planed to go to gandhinagar on 22nd august and stay 1night with my sister in her rental house because that city is so far from ma current location. Iam not able to attend his party due to exam schedule.

However, I am coming back on after that, so we will go for a long trip and celebrate his post birthday on our trip with lots of laugh and fun. Furthermore, there will be a concert on that night, so plan to attend that too for him but I need your permission to take him with me. Lots of love and best wishes to him for his birthday and best of luck to you to prepare everything.

Best regards,

Raj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the party, provided a valid reason for your absence, and proposed a concrete plan to see him later. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, although the opening salutation 'uncle and aunt' is slightly unusual in an Australian context. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, ensure that all details, such as the specific date and the nature of the 'long trip', are presented with slightly more natural phrasing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Furthermore' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by mechanical errors in sentence structure and punctuation. For instance, the transition between the explanation of your exam and your travel plans is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'that city') is always clear would help the text flow more naturally and elevate the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'obsessed', 'competitive exams', and 'permission'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'surprice' (surprise), 'exited' (excited), 'restaurat' (restaurant), and 'planed' (planned). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on proofreading for common spelling mistakes and try to incorporate more precise collocations, such as 'sitting for exams' instead of 'studying for competitive exams'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'I hope this letter find you well' (finds), 'I heard you book' (had booked), and 'reach at exam center' (reach the exam center). Additionally, there are issues with punctuation, particularly the run-on sentences in the second paragraph. While your meaning is always clear, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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