Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-11
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 am writing this letter to let you know that Chris will definitely love your the surprise birthday party you are throwing for her. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this party as I have exam.
I know Chris from past few years and she has mentioned to me that she loves surprises which is why I think that she will be more than happy, and she will absolutely enjoy the party. Moreover, As you said earlier you are planning to arrange live cocktail table with bar tender which Chris enjoys a lot.
However, I won't be able to attend this party as I have my IELTS exam the next day after the day you organised the party, as I have to do preparations for my exam.
I will definitely be very sad as I really wanted to attend the party but I'm planning to give her surprise a day before her birthday, with flowers and gifts that I'm pretty sure she will adore.
Please let me know if you need any help or information, I will be more than happy to help.
Kind Regards,
Priyanka.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You successfully covered all three bullet points required in the task instructions. You provided clear reasons why Chris will enjoy the surprise party, mentioning her love for surprises and the live cocktail table. You also clearly explained why you cannot attend by stating you have your IELTS exam the next day, and you outlined a practical plan to see her a day before her birthday with flowers and gifts. The tone is appropriately friendly and polite for a letter to family friends. All parts of the prompt are fully and clearly addressed without any omissions. Therefore, this performance comfortably achieves a Band 7.0 for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter has a clear logical organization with appropriate paragraphing. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the purpose of the letter and reasons for Chris enjoying the party, to your absence, and finally to your alternative plan. You used cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Which is why' to link your ideas, although there is some slight repetitiveness in how sentences are connected. The progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the response, ensuring the reader encounters no confusion. This aligns well with the Band 7.0 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
Your vocabulary is generally sufficient for the task and allows you to communicate your message clearly. You attempted some less common items such as 'bar tender', 'preparations', and 'adore'. However, there are a few minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'love your the surprise birthday party', 'past few years' instead of 'the past few years', and 'give her surprise'. Despite these occasional errors, the range of vocabulary is adequate to convey your meaning effectively without impeding communication. This performance fits comfortably within the Band 6.5 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You demonstrated a mix of simple and complex sentence structures throughout the letter, such as relative clauses ('which is why I think that she will be more than happy') and conditional phrasing. There are several grammatical errors present, including 'love your the surprise birthday party' (unnecessary article 'the'), 'as I have exam' (missing article), and 'the next day after the day you organised the party' (awkward phrasing). However, these errors rarely impede communication and the main ideas remain clear. You maintain good control of punctuation and basic sentence boundaries, which supports a solid Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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