Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16
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 7.5)
Dear Mr and Mrs collins,
I hope you are doing well. I am so glad that you send me an invitation for chris' birthday party. As soon as I recieved the invitation, I started planning surprise ideas for chris.
I strongly believe that he would love the party as I have connected with some of our old college friends to join the event. Almost all the friends are travelling overseas to surprise him. He would be amazed to see them all together at the same time.
Unfortunately, I would not be able to attend the birthday party due to some medical reasons. I got a joint displaced and my doctor advised me to get proper rest for quick recovery. I am going to miss you all.
Once I cope with my injury, I will definitely plan a visit to see you all. I am hoping to come to Australia by the end of december. So, we will have fun together during christmas celebration.
Thank you for your understanding. I hope the new arrangement works for you. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Harpreet Kaur
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0
The response fully satisfies all requirements of the task. You successfully addressed all three bullet points: explaining why Chris will enjoy the party by mentioning the surprise gathering of old college friends, clearly explaining your inability to attend due to medical reasons involving a displaced joint, and providing a concrete plan to see him and his parents in Australia at the end of December for Christmas. The tone is appropriately warm and informal, perfectly fitting a letter to a friend's parents. The ideas are well-developed and easy to follow throughout the letter. The greeting and sign-off are well-chosen and match the required format of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0
The letter exhibits a clear and logical organisation. Information is divided into appropriate paragraphs, each dealing with a distinct theme: the initial invitation and excitement, the reason for absence, and the rescheduled plans for December. Cohesive devices are used effectively to connect ideas, such as 'As soon as', 'Unfortunately', and 'Once I cope with my injury'. The progression of thoughts feels natural and allows the reader to follow the narrative effortlessly without any confusing leaps in logic. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a solid range of vocabulary suited to a personal letter, using terms such as 'travelling overseas', 'amazed', 'medical reasons', and 'quick recovery'. There are a few minor lexical inaccuracies, such as 'got a joint displaced' instead of 'dislocated a joint' or 'displaced a joint', and 'send me an invitation' instead of 'sent me an invitation'. However, these vocabulary slips do not impede communication, and you successfully attempt some less common phrases like 'cope with my injury'. With tighter collocation control, a higher score would be accessible.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
The writing includes a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and temporal clauses ('As soon as I received the invitation, I started planning...'). Grammatical control is generally quite good, with many error-free sentences. However, there are some minor errors in verb tense and capitalization, such as 'that you send me' (should be 'sent'), 'recieved' (spelling slip), and lowercase 'collins' and 'chris' in the salutation and body. Despite these occasional lapses, the grammar does not hinder understanding and demonstrates a reasonable level of accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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