Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06
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)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
I hope you are doing well. I received your letter last week inviting me to Chris surprise birthday party.
Chris is a lively boy and he is fond of getting surprises. Since, you told that the birthday party's venue is decided on a beach resort, he would definitely love it !
He likes to explore different beach venues and is very much intrested in swimming. He definitely will be excited to know about his surprise birthday party.
Unfortunately, I wont be able to attend the party on 25th December as I am leaving for UK to meet my parents next month. I already have booked my flight and it cannot be rescheduled because of the commitments I have made with them.
But once I return from the trip, I have planned to invite Chris to my city and stay a few days with me. It would be lovely to spend some time together. We will explore the city and I will probably plan a cruise trip for him. It would be a memorable experience from him.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards,
Arzoo
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt fully. You successfully explain why Chris will enjoy the surprise party by mentioning his lively personality, fondness for surprises, and interest in swimming at a beach resort. You clearly explain why you cannot attend due to a trip to the UK next month, and you provide a detailed plan to see him upon your return by inviting him to your city and potentially planning a cruise trip. The ideas are well extended and supported throughout the letter, reflecting a clear position and purpose. While some points, such as the exact details of the beach venue, could be slightly more elaborated to reach the highest standards, all requirements of the task are successfully met with appropriate tone and clear relevance.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each bullet point from the prompt is addressed in a logical sequence, moving smoothly from the invitation response to the inability to attend, and finally to the alternative meeting plan. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate different topics, such as the reasons for the surprise, the scheduling conflict, and the future plan. Cohesive devices are used adequately with phrases like 'Unfortunately', 'But once I return', and 'I look forward to hearing from you soon'. However, referencing and cohesive links are occasionally a bit mechanical rather than entirely seamless, which keeps the response at this solid level.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating your message with some less common items such as 'lively', 'explore', 'rescheduled', and 'memorable experience'. However, there are a few instances of inaccurate word choice and spelling errors that prevent a higher score. For example, 'Chris surprise' is missing a possessive apostrophe, 'intrested' contains a spelling error, and 'Since, you told that' features awkward phrasing and punctuation. Additionally, the preposition use inside collocations like 'intrested in swimming' is acceptable, but the phrasing 'experience from him' should be 'experience for him'. These minor slips do not impede communication but show that vocabulary control is still developing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating structures such as conditional and temporal clauses like 'Since you told that the birthday party's venue is decided on a beach resort, he would definitely love it !' and 'once I return from the trip, I have planned to invite Chris'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles and incorrect comma placement before dependent clauses. For instance, 'I wont be able' misses an apostrophe, 'I already have booked' has slightly unnatural word order, and 'a beach resort' might be better phrased as 'at a beach resort'. These errors do not impede communication, and you manage to produce several error-free sentences, demonstrating a reasonable command of basic and moderately complex grammar.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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