Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 am writing this letter to thank you for the invitation to the Chris's birthday party. I am sure that he will love this surprise party because you have invited all of his childhood friends ,and also arranged disco and game night, which he would have never expected.

However, I would not be able to join him on his special day as I have my exams coming next month. And these are the final exams, therefore it is very important for me to study for it and get really good scores.

I would be done with my exams by the end of the next month, then I have a break of 15 days. So I am planning to see him at that time. I know that he will also have summer break, therefore we all could go out and visit an adventure park, which he loves the most.

Once again thank you for the invitation, and I can't wait to see you all.

Yours sincerely,

Rishi

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, and proposed a concrete plan to meet him later. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents, maintaining a polite and friendly register throughout. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your desire to celebrate with Chris at a later date. The response is fully functional and meets all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use appropriate paragraphing to separate the introduction, the explanation of your absence, the alternative plan, and the closing. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'therefore', and 'Once again' are used effectively to link ideas and guide the reader through the text. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow. While some transitions are quite standard, they are used correctly and contribute to the overall clarity of the message.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task. You use words like 'invitation', 'childhood friends', 'special day', and 'adventure park' appropriately. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'arranged disco and game night' (which would be better as 'arranged a disco and a games night') and 'I would be done with my exams' (which is slightly informal). However, these do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations or slightly more sophisticated descriptive language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as the unnecessary article in 'the Chris's birthday party' and the missing article in 'arranged disco'. Additionally, 'study for it' should refer back to 'exams' (plural), so 'study for them' would be more accurate. Despite these occasional slips, your meaning is always clear, and the errors do not interfere with the reader's understanding. You show good control over basic sentence construction and punctuation.

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

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