Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-01
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 are doing well. I am writing this letter to inform you that, I will be coming next month to organize a grand birthday party for Chris and he would love each aspect of the entire party.
To begin with, I have seen some online themes related to birthday party and my plan is to do it in Halloween theme. Because, I vividly remember that he has mentioned about this style and he love to wear Halloween dress.
However, due to some unforeseen circumstances at my current work, I won't be able to attend it on that day, But, I will definitely come and see him any other day next month. I will inform you in advance about my plan to see him. I hope you could understand my situation. Thank you for inviting me. I will see you soon.
Bye, take care.
Warm regards,
Riddhi
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, but some aspects are partially developed. You mention that Chris will enjoy the Halloween theme and wearing a costume, which covers the first bullet point. However, the explanation for why you cannot attend is somewhat vague, relying simply on 'unforeseen circumstances at my current work' without much elaboration. The alternative plan to see Chris next month is mentioned, though it lacks specific details about dates or activities, promising only to 'inform you in advance'. To move to a higher level, you should ensure that all parts of the prompt, particularly the reasons for absence and the alternative meeting plan, are fully extended and well-supported with clear, specific details rather than brief statements.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear beginning and ending, and the ideas are generally organized into chronological paragraphs. However, the progression between ideas is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition 'However, due to some unforeseen circumstances...' is abrupt, and punctuation errors in referencing affect the flow. Cohesive devices are used, but they can be repetitive or slightly inaccurate, such as comma splices linking clauses. To improve further, you should work on smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphs, and ensure that referencing words like pronouns clearly link back to their intended subjects to establish a more seamless logical progression throughout the letter.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your message about the birthday party and your work situation. You make some attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'unforeseen circumstances' and 'vividly remember'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations that show limited precision. For example, writing 'organize a grand birthday party' when the parents are actually organizing it creates a contradiction, and 'he love to wear' contains a subject-verb agreement or word form slip. To reach a higher standard, aim for greater precision in word choice and expand your use of natural collocations and less common phrases to express your ideas more fluently and accurately.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, demonstrating basic control over sentence structures. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that catch the reader's attention. For instance, there is an unnecessary comma in 'to inform you that, I will be coming', a tense shift in 'he have mentioned... and he love', and a comma splice in 'attend it on that day, But, I will definitely come'. Complex structures attempted often contain errors in punctuation or clause combination. To improve, you need to focus on reducing mechanical grammar and punctuation errors, ensuring correct tense consistency, and mastering the punctuation rules for compound sentences to make your writing much more accurate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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