Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
I am writing this letter regardin birthday party of Chris.
To begin with, i would like to wish the best of luck to both of you. I believe it is a fantastic idea to host a surprise birthday party for chris on his 22th birthday on 10 december. Because right now he is living seprated from both of you and doing his study as well as part time work. Due to that he will not expecting a surprise anything on birthday.
I am really sorry as i will not be the part of the party as i will have an appointment ouside of the city. Although, i will miss the party but i will provde a gift card and playstation five for him as he love to play online games.
Moreover my plan to see chris is on on 13 december. During that time i will back to the city. Not only i will give him a additional surprise party but will have purchased something for him.
Yours lovingly,
Anmol
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The candidate successfully covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. First, they explain why Chris will enjoy the surprise party, noting that he is living away from his parents and studying while working part-time, making a surprise unexpected and uplifting. Second, they explain the inability to attend due to an out-of-town appointment. Third, they provide a specific plan to see Chris on December 13th to give him an additional surprise. The tone is appropriate for a letter to friends of a peer. However, there are some minor developmental limitations and minor over-generalizations in how the ideas are presented, which places this response comfortably at Band 6.5 to 7.0. Given the positive fulfillment of all requirements, a band score of 6.5 is appropriate.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is structured with appropriate paragraphing, opening with a salutation and concluding with a sign-off, moving logically from the purpose of the letter to the reasons for non-attendance and finally to alternative plans. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'Because', 'Although', and 'Moreover'. However, some referencing and linking are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Although, i will miss the party but i will provde...' where double conjunctions occur. Paragraphing is generally clear, though the progression can feel slightly abrupt between sentences. Overall, cohesion is adequate for a Band 6.0, showing logical sequencing despite some mechanical faults.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully communicating everyday concepts and specific items like 'gift card' and 'playstation five'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'regardin' instead of 'regarding', 'seprated' instead of 'separated', 'ouside' instead of 'outside', and 'provde' instead of 'provide'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary ('appointment', 'additional surprise'), but the persistence of basic spelling errors and minor lexical inaccuracies limits the score. The range is sufficient to convey the message clearly, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'as he love to play online games', 'During that time i will back to the city'). However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including lowercase 'i', missing verbs ('i will back'), incorrect preposition use, and awkward phrasing like 'he will not expecting a surprise anything on birthday'. Complex sentence structures often contain errors. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is rarely impeded, supporting a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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