Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18
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,
Thank you very much for inviting me to Chris's surprise birthday party. I am sure Chris will thouroughly enjoy it because he loves spending time with friends and family. Since he has no idea about the celebration, the surprise element will make the occasion even more special and memorable for him.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the party because I have an important work commitment on the same day that canot be postponed. I am truly disappointed to miss such a wonderful event.
However, I have already made plans to meet Chris the following weekend. I am planning to take him out for a three day Sydney trip where will have lunch at his favorite restaurants and I will give him a birthday gift in person. This will also give us an opportunity to spend some quality time together and celebrate his birthday properly.
Please pass on my best wishes to Chris, and I hope the party is a great success.
Yours sincerely,
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AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0
The student has successfully covered all bullet points outlined in the prompt in a natural and appropriate tone for a General Training letter. The response begins by appropriately thanking Mr and Mrs Collins. It clearly states why Chris will enjoy the surprise party, mentioning his love for spending time with friends and family. Furthermore, the writer explains the inability to attend due to an important work commitment and provides a detailed alternative plan to take Chris on a three-day Sydney trip. The purpose of the letter is fully realized, and the tone is polite and friendly throughout, meeting all requirements for a Band 8 level in Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0
The letter demonstrates clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information is grouped logically into paragraphs, with each paragraph serving a distinct function related to the prompt's instructions. Cohesive devices such as 'Since', 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'This will also' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the text. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively, contributing to an easy and natural flow of ideas. Overall, the structural organization aligns well with the Band 8 descriptor for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
The student uses a sufficient and generally natural range of vocabulary suitable for a social letter. Phrases like 'surprise element', 'work commitment', 'truly disappointed', and 'quality time' show good control of common collocations. However, there is a minor spelling slip with the word 'thouroughly' (thoroughly) and a slight grammatical slip with 'canot' (cannot). While less common lexical items are used effectively, these minor mechanical errors prevent the response from reaching the highest bands. Overall, the vocabulary is flexible and precise enough to earn a Band 7.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
The writer displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and dependent clauses like 'Since he has no idea about the celebration, the surprise element will make the occasion...' and '...where will have lunch at his favorite restaurants...'. The majority of sentences are accurate, though there is a minor grammatical slip in the relative clause where the subject pronoun was omitted ('where will have lunch'). Punctuation and sentence boundary control are generally sound. The grammatical control is strong and secure, fitting comfortably within the Band 7 criteria.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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