Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-13
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 doing well and Chris too. like every birthday I know you must be planning surprice partty since chris love surprices and gifts she will enjoy this party. However, I heard from Chris she will invite her boyfriend at home on this special occasion.
Furthermore, I will not be able to attend a party because I have a exam on that particular day yet, I am sending her my well wishes as well as a concert ticket to her. she felt really bad when I told her that I am not coming While, we are best friends from since class fourth so she have understand my problem.
Moreover, Her graduation party is coming next month so i will be their. I have planned a lot of things on her speacial day of convocation also have booked a table already in a famous cafe, which she really like.
Your faithfully,
Sarbjit Kaur.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. You successfully mention why Chris will enjoy the surprise party, explaining that she loves surprises and gifts. You also explain why you cannot attend due to an exam on that day, and finally, you outline a plan to see her at a different time by mentioning her graduation party next month and booking a café table. However, some ideas are slightly confusing or contradictory, such as mentioning that Chris is inviting her boyfriend while also treating this as a surprise party hosted by her parents. Additionally, some details lack full clarity. Despite these minor logical confusions, all parts of the prompt are addressed, aligning closely with a Band 6.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a standard opening and closing. Paragraphing is attempted to separate the different points of the letter. However, the logical progression within sentences is sometimes faulty due to abrupt transitions and run-on structures. For instance, phrases like 'While, we are best friends from since class fourth so she have understand my problem' create confusion and disrupt the flow. Cohesive devices are occasionally used inappropriately, such as 'While' acting as a conjunction where 'Because' or 'As' would be expected. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, leading to a Band 5.5 performance for overall coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey basic ideas about the party, exams, and future plans. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'surprice' instead of 'surprise', 'partty' instead of 'party', and 'speacial' instead of 'special'. Furthermore, collocation and phrasing show limitations, as seen in 'from since class fourth' and 'have a exam'. While you attempt some less common vocabulary items like 'convocation', the frequent spelling and lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional ideas. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('I hope you doing well'), missing articles ('have a exam', 'at home on this special occasion'), and incorrect capitalization and punctuation ('she felt really bad when I told her that I am not coming While, we are best friends...'). Run-on sentences and comma splices are common. Because these frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader, the grammar score is a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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