Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-19

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,

I would like to appreciate you for inviting me on Chris birthday party as he is my one of the best friends and very close to my heart.

I would really admire your idea of surprise visit to enhance his level of excitment. Moreover, I believe that Chris will definetly enjoy this party because he loves surprises, once upon a time he is disclosed that he likes if someone gives me something about letting know, whatever the thing is not a big deal for him, but he appreciates the efforts made by his loved ones. That's the reason I think he will be over the moon after having this astonish birthday celebration party.

I applogize for my inconvenience on this adorable moment because of my examinations. I wish to be a part of his happiness but due to anual exams, I am unable to join this beautiful event.

However, I have made a diffrent plan already to surprise him. During my absence I will send a huge cake from the one of his favorite flavors with a unique styled design on it. Apart from this, I will come to meet him soon after my final exams.

Once again thank you for inviting me on this special occasion. I will promise to come as soon as possible to meet up everybody.

Yours faithfully,

Divya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully covered all the required bullet points in the prompt. You begin by acknowledging the invitation and explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, noting that he appreciates the efforts of his loved ones and loves surprises. You then clearly explain why you are unable to attend due to your upcoming annual examinations. Finally, you provide details of an alternative plan, which includes sending a cake in his favourite flavour and visiting him after your exams finish. Your tone is warm, polite, and appropriate for a personal letter to a friend's parents. The ideas are fully relevant and logically extended, fulfilling the requirements for a strong band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Your letter has a clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs that each address a different aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices appropriately, such as 'Moreover', 'That's the reason', and 'Apart from this'. However, there are a few instances where referencing and cohesion feel slightly unnatural or awkward, such as 'once upon a time he is disclosed that'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the letter well, and the opening and closing conventions are handled correctly. Overall, the organisation is clear and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempt some less common items such as 'over the moon' and 'astonish birthday celebration party'. However, there are several word choice, collocation, and form errors that prevent a higher score. For instance, you wrote 'appreciate you for inviting me on Chris birthday party' instead of 'thank you for inviting me to Chris's birthday party', 'level of excitment' instead of 'excitement', and 'astonish' instead of 'astonishing'. Additionally, 'applogize' contains a spelling error. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is never impeded, and your meaning remains completely clear to the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a willingness to use varied structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present throughout the text. For example, 'once upon a time he is disclosed that he likes if someone gives me something about letting know' contains confusing pronoun shifts and incorrect verb forms. Other errors include 'anual exams' (spelling of annual) and 'I will promise to come' instead of 'I promise to come'. While you show good control in many simpler sentences, the frequency of errors in more complex structures places your grammar score in the mid-range.

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

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