Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Collins,
I hope you are doing well Chris's parent. Thank you for inviting me too the birthday party. It was great idea for Chris's. It gives him a lot of joy and happiness.
He loves the party all the time. But he enjoys more surprise party because that gives him chill and joy. Chris's wants to do a lot of fun in it and that is why he is love that surprise party very much.
I humbly acknowledge your invite, but I am really sorry for not coming to his surprise party because I have a meeting in Boston that is why I can't attend that party. I am very apologizing due to that Chris's is my best friend.
I give you my surety I will see him in next week. and I will bring a gift of PS5 Pro for him. So, he can enjoy more and remembering me as his best friend for his entire life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating why you cannot attend, and proposing an alternative meeting. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of why he will enjoy the party is repetitive and lacks depth. To improve, try to elaborate more on the specific reasons why a surprise party suits his personality. While the tone is generally appropriate for a letter to friends of a friend, ensure that your ideas are fully expanded to demonstrate a more comprehensive response to the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow between sentences is often mechanical and sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between 'He loves the party all the time' and 'But he enjoys more surprise party' is abrupt and lacks logical connectors. Additionally, the use of cohesive devices is limited, and some referencing is unclear, such as the repetitive use of 'Chris's' throughout the text. Improving the use of linking words like 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' or 'however' would significantly enhance the logical progression of your ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite basic and repetitive. You rely heavily on simple words like 'fun,' 'joy,' and 'happy.' There are also several word-choice errors, such as 'I am very apologizing' instead of 'I apologize' or 'I am very sorry,' and 'give you my surety' which is not a natural collocation. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary and idiomatic expressions appropriate for a friendly letter, while also ensuring that your word forms are used correctly in context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Chris's wants to do'), incorrect use of possessives (e.g., 'Chris's parent'), and awkward sentence structures (e.g., 'that is why he is love that surprise party'). While you attempt some complex sentences, they often contain errors in tense or word order. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb forms before moving on to more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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