Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-12
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 your invitation. I am very excited about the surprise birthday party you have planned for Chris. I am sure he is going to love it because he always feels happy around family.
As much as I know him, he will be on cloud nine seeing all friends and family together celebrating his special day. He loves his grandmother the most and I heard she is also visiting him, I can sense he would be super happy seeing her. He always enjoys spending special ocassions with his loved one's and this will be an unforgettable memory of his life.
Although I really wanted to attend the party but I have my examination on the same day. I have already tried to re-schedule it but there are no dates available until next year. Therefore, I won't be able to make up for the party.
However, I am planning to visit him post birthday weekend and maybe we can go out for dinner at his favourite restaurant. Nonetheless, I have planned an amazing game night for him with our friends to spend a boys night and celebrate.
Hope to see you all very soon. Click lots of pictures and have fun. Miss me.
Yours lovely,
Sam
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
You have successfully covered all three bullet points required in the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris will enjoy the surprise party, mentioning his love for family gatherings and his grandmother's visit. You provided a clear reason for your absence by stating that you have an examination on the same day that cannot be rescheduled. Additionally, you detailed a plan to see him later by proposing a dinner at his favourite restaurant and a game night with friends. Your tone is warm and appropriate for a letter to friends of a similar generation. The purpose of the letter is well-realised from the opening salutation to the friendly sign-off.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
Your letter is easy to follow, and ideas are logically organised into distinct paragraphs that address specific parts of the prompt. You use appropriate paragraphing and basic cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Therefore', and 'However' to connect your thoughts. However, some transitions could be smoother. For example, the sentence 'Although I really wanted to attend the party but I have my examination' contains a double connector ('Although' and 'but'), which disrupts the flow. Overall, the structure is clear and logical, leading to a coherent progression of ideas throughout the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using some nice idiomatic expressions like 'on cloud nine' and less common phrases like 'post birthday weekend'. There are a few vocabulary and spelling errors, such as 'ocassions' (occasion) and the possessive punctuation error in 'loved one's' (loved ones). Furthermore, phrases like 'make up for the party' are slightly unnatural in this context—'make it to the party' or 'attend' would be more appropriate. Despite these minor slips, your vocabulary is sufficiently broad to convey your message clearly and accurately.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures reasonably well. However, there are a few grammatical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings. As noted in cohesion, 'Although I really wanted to attend the party but I have my examination' incorrectly pairs 'although' with 'but'. Additionally, 'As much as I know him' is slightly unnatural; 'Knowing him as I do' or 'I am sure' would be grammatically smoother. While these errors occur, they do not impede communication, and many of your sentences remain error-free.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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