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 you have been doing well, I get your invite last week about the surprising birthday party for Chris, I am glad that he will enjoy with you after long time.

I hope chris would be happy for your surpise because when I was talking yesterday he was excited for his birthday as now he is turning into 20's and he has alot of dreams that he can drive car and could be able to go for parties. I remember you prohibited him for these things until the age of 19 so he will be excited at that day.

I will be appologied because i cannot come to the party as you may aware i have important exam at that day which i caanot leave because my future depend on my exam. Before one day of birthday party ,i am going out of city and my journey take 6 hours so i will not be able to come back for attending the birthday.

I hope you and my dear friend will understand the situation, i will see him next week and will go outside and enjoy the day, at the end i just want to give warm wishes for his birthday.

Thank you for your time and invite.

With best regards,

Ramandeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully cover all three bullet points required in the task instructions. First, you explain why Chris will enjoy the surprise party by mentioning his excitement about turning 20 and his new freedoms. Second, you explain why you cannot attend due to an important exam and out-of-town travel. Third, you provide a clear plan to see him next week. However, the tone occasionally feels slightly informal or conversational in a way that affects task focus, and some ideas are a bit repetitive, such as re-stating your well-wishes and your hope that they understand. Overall, you adequately address all parts of the prompt, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

Your letter is divided into logical paragraphs that follow the chronological sequence of your points, starting with the invitation response, moving to the reason for absence, and ending with future plans. However, you rely heavily on comma splices rather than proper conjunctions or full stops, which makes sentences run together inappropriately (e.g., 'I hope you have been doing well, I get your invite last week...'). Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or missing. Paragraphing is present and helps structure the letter, but referencing and linking could be much smoother to reach a higher band. This performance corresponds to a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully communicating your message about the party, exams, and travel plans. You attempt some less common phrases like 'prohibited him' and 'future depend on my exam,' but there are several noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as saying 'surprising birthday party' instead of 'surprise birthday party,' 'get your invite' instead of 'received your invitation,' and 'appologied' instead of 'apologize.' Spelling and morphological errors occur, but they do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. This lexical control aligns with a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional or dependent clauses ('as now he is turning into 20's' and 'because when I was talking yesterday...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak due to frequent errors, particularly run-on sentences joined only by commas, incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'I get your invite last week' instead of 'got'), missing articles, and preposition errors ('Before one day of birthday party'). These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the sentences from being consistently error-free. This structural control and accuracy fit a Band 5.0.

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