Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-27

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 5.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope both of you are doing awesome!Lately, I've received an exciting news about the surprise b'day party for Chris. I'm amazed to be the part of such wonderful celebration. Since it's been a long time we last met.

I had a talk with Chris last weekend, he told me that he was going for a business trip for three weeks. He is always swamped with work-related meetings; probably he could hardly get a moment to spend with you.

I would not be able to attend the celebration, as next month I have two important exams for which I've been working hard for a couple of months. On the other hand, I would'nt like to miss this opoortunity otherwise I've to wait till next year.

I'm planning to celebrate Christmas in Australia this year. I know at that time everybody has holi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main points required by the prompt, such as explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating why you cannot attend, and introducing an alternative plan to see him. However, the text trails off incomplete at the end due to an unfinished sentence about Christmas in Australia. Additionally, the Length Check confirms the response contains 147 words, falling just short of the 150-word minimum requirement. This minor under-length and incomplete final bullet point prevent the task from being fully realised, earning it a band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter maintains a recognizable friendly tone and makes an attempt at logical organisation with paragraph breaks. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty. For instance, the sentence 'Since it's been a long time we last met' is a fragment that lacks a main clause, and the transition between ideas feels somewhat abrupt. Paragraphing is introduced, but the final paragraph breaks off abruptly in the middle of a sentence, impacting the overall flow and structural coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an informal letter, attempting phrases like 'swamped with work-related meetings' and 'exciting news'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'received an exciting news' (news is uncountable) and 'be the part of' (missing an article). Informal abbreviations like 'b'day' are also used, which detract slightly from the register. Despite these flaws, communication is generally maintained, placing this in the band 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and causal clauses ('Since it's been...', 'as next month I have...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text. Examples include 'I hope both of you are doing awesome!Lately' (missing space), 'I would'nt like' (incorrect apostrophe placement), and fragment sentences like 'On the other hand, I would'nt like to miss this opoortunity otherwise I've to wait till next year.' Furthermore, the response ends abruptly with an incomplete sentence, demonstrating poor control over the final complex structure.

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

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