Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you are doing well. Thank you for inviting me to a Chris's surprise birthday party which held on next weekend.

I believe Chis would be enjoy this surprise party because he would love to celebrate this special occasion with his family and close friends. This would be a best way to spend quality time with friends and family, away from our busy lifestyles.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this party because I have to attend important businees meeting which is shceduled on the same weekends when party is organised and can not be postpone.

I had talked with Chris about celebrating his birthday on following weekend. We have planned to go for a movie night together and visit his favourite restaurant. To make this moment memorable, I have bought a surprise gift for him as well.

Thank you again for inviting me for this surprise party. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Yours faithfully,

Axay Nayi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The student has successfully covered all three bullet points required in the task instructions. They explain why Chris will enjoy the party (celebrating with family and friends, taking a break from busy lifestyles), state the reason for not being able to attend (an important business meeting on the same weekend), and provide a clear alternative plan (going for a movie night and a favorite restaurant the following weekend, along with a surprise gift). The tone is appropriate for a semi-formal letter to friends of a friend, and all parts of the prompt are fully addressed. Therefore, this fulfills the criteria for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a specific communicative purpose. The introduction opens appropriately, followed by paragraphs addressing Chris's enjoyment, the inability to attend, and alternative plans respectively. Cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'To make this moment memorable', and 'Thank you again' are used effectively to guide the reader through the letter. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, resulting in clear logical progression throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary suitable for a social letter, using phrases like 'special occasion', 'busy lifestyles', and 'memorable'. However, there are some noticeable lexical inaccuracies and typographical slips, such as 'a Chris's surprise', 'Chis would be enjoy', and 'businees meeting'. Despite these minor errors, the vocabulary is more than adequate for the task and communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms (e.g., 'I believe Chis would be enjoy this surprise party because he would love to celebrate...'). However, there are several grammatical errors present, including tense and preposition slips ('which held on next weekend', 'shceduled on the same weekends when party is organised and can not be postpone'). These errors indicate a mix of simple and complex structures with occasional grammatical inaccuracies, placing it solidly within the Band 6 range.

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

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