Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-26

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,

It's been a long time since we have met, I hope you both are enjoying your retirement.

I'm glad to see the invitation you have sent me for Chris's surprise birthday party. Not only I remember that we had danced together but also enjoyed Mrs. Collins dinner at your residence on his last birthday party. I'm happy that Chris will be excited to see surprise party with all the gifts you are planning for him.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to join in there because of my last semester exams, which are coming on same date of the party. I could have managed to show up otherwise if exams were not on the same date.

However, I already had in my mind that I will see chris right after my exams and due to which I have booked my flights in advance and I am excited to meet Chris in Sydney opera house.

I would like to thank you for the invitation of party.

Yours Truly,

Jag

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. You successfully mention why Chris will enjoy the party, noting that he will be excited to see the surprise and receive the gifts. You clearly explain why you cannot attend due to your final semester exams falling on the exact same date. Furthermore, you provide a clear alternative plan to see Chris right after your exams by booking advance flights and meeting him at the Sydney Opera House. The tone is appropriately friendly and polite for a letter to friends of a friend. All parts of the task are addressed adequately, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical overall arrangement, opening with appropriate pleasantries and closing with a sign-off. Paragraphing is used to separate different points, such as the party details, the conflict with exams, and the alternative plan. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'and due to which' is awkward and grammatically incorrect. Referencing and linking between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band. Nevertheless, the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using functional phrases like 'retirement,' 'invitation,' 'surprise birthday party,' and 'advance flights.' There are, however, some word choice errors and unnatural collocations, such as 'we have met' instead of 'we last saw each other,' and 'see surprise party' instead of 'experience a surprise party.' Additionally, 'Sydney opera house' lacks proper capitalization. While these minor errors exist, communication is not impeded at any point.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('I could have managed to show up otherwise if...'). However, there are notable grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including 'Not only I remember' (which lacks inversion after a negative introductory element, should be 'Not only do I remember'), 'coming on same date' (missing the article 'the'), and run-on structures like 'due to which I have booked my flights.' Punctuation is generally acceptable, but errors in grammar occasionally disrupt the flow.

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

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