Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-21

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 read your letter with a smile on my face when I thought of how Chris would be so happy with the surprise party you plan for her, she has always marvel whenever any of our friends parents hold similar party for them unknown that hers is coming.

I would have really loved to attend the party but I will be resuming my new work exactly on that day, 29th January after a long search for employment and I wouldn't want to start in a new place with taking permission as first impression can last longer and affect me at work.

I already promised to catch up with her at our usual on the following Saturday as to make up for my absence, I believe she understands and looks forward to our hangout. Thanks for organising such party for her, I can't wait to listen the gists of the party in our friends group chat.

Yours Sincerely

Esther.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly explained why Chris would enjoy the surprise party by noting that she always marvels when others have similar parties. You provided a logical reason for your inability to attend, stating you are starting a new job on 29th January. Finally, you gave details of an alternative plan to see Chris on the following Saturday. The tone is appropriately friendly and conversational for a letter to friends of a peer. All requirements of the task are adequately addressed with relevant and clear ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points, from acknowledging the invitation and stating the conflict to proposing an alternative meeting. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the first paragraph consists of a very long, run-on sentence connected with commas ('...party you plan for her, she has always marvel whenever...'), which disrupts the flow. Additionally, referencing could be smoother in places. Despite these minor issues, the overall structure allows the reader to follow your message easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using functional phrases like 'start in a new place', 'first impression can last longer', and 'catch up with her'. There are some noticeable lexical and word form errors, such as 'always marvel' instead of 'marvels', 'take permission' instead of 'ask for permission', and 'listen the gists' instead of 'hear the gist'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the vocabulary score from reaching higher bands where greater precision and natural collocation are required.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause sentences. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues. For instance, the opening sentence is a comma splice connecting independent clauses ('...surprise party you plan for her, she has always marvel...'). Other errors include 'wouldn't want to start... with taking permission', missing prepositions ('listen the gists'), and tense inconsistencies. These errors occasionally cause the reader hesitation, placing your grammatical accuracy firmly within the Band 6 descriptor range where errors are present but rarely completely impede overall communication.

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

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