Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-22

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)

Deae Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you are doing well. Yesterday I got your invitation and it is glad to hear that you are going to organise a surprise party for Chris.

I believe it will be the best party for him because he likes parties. Last week I talked with hime and he said this year he will not celebrate his birthday, therefore It would be great surprise for him. In addition you invited all his close friends so he will definatatly like this Birthday party.

Unfortunately, I could not attend this occasion, as I have exams next month. Moreover, on the day of his birthday I have a exam, since it's my final year so I could not skip the exam.

My exam will finish next month afterthat I will visit to your place. I will go to hill station with Chris, because we have been making this trip for last couple of months. It would be enjoyable time for both of us.

I hope you could understand my problem. I would like to wish him Happy birthday in advance Hope this party will be memorable for all of you.

Best wishes,

Jag

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. You successfully explain why Chris will enjoy the surprise party by mentioning his love for parties and the fact that he was not planning to celebrate this year. You also clearly state why you cannot attend due to final year exams, and provide a detailed plan to see him next month for a trip to a hill station. The tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend's parents. However, some ideas are slightly basic and could have been extended further to reach a higher band level, but all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement with distinct paragraphs that separate the different points of the prompt, such as the party, the inability to attend, and future plans. Logical connectors like 'In addition', 'Unfortunately', and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader, although some referencing is a bit mechanical (e.g., repeating 'exam' and 'party' frequently). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, creating a coherent flow from the opening greeting to the final sign-off.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'surprise party', 'celebrate', and 'hill station'. There are a few spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'Deae' instead of 'Dear', 'hime' instead of 'him', 'definatatly', and 'afterthat'. Despite these errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, and you make valid attempts at descriptive phrases like 'memorable for all of you' and 'enjoyable time'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinating conjunctions like 'because', 'since', and 'as'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, such as comma splices ('therefore It would be great surprise') and preposition errors ('visit to your place', 'for last couple of months'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede overall communication, and your meaning remains clear to the reader.

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

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