Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
Firstly, thank you very much for inviting me to the party for Chris's birthday next week. Unfortunately, I will be unable to make it.
I am even more upset about not making it because I know how much Chris will enjoy the surprise. I know Chris usually enjoys surprises and he also enjoys social gatherings, especially at his favourite bar and for his birthday.
The reason I am unable to make it is because I am working abroad and will not be home on the day of the party. Sadly I can't change my work schedule as it has been planned in advance and it is a specific job I am completing.
Nonetheless, I hope I can see Chris once I'm home. I will reach out to Chris to arrange to meet up with him soon, perhaps at his favourite restaurant and I can treat him for his birthday. Hopefully we can make this work. Enjoy the celebrations!
Kind regards,
Niall
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
Your letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required in the task instructions. You clearly explain why Chris will enjoy the surprise party by mentioning his love for surprises and social gatherings at his favourite bar. You also provide a clear explanation for your absence due to working abroad and being unable to change your schedule. Finally, you give a concrete plan to see him after you return, suggesting a meeting at his favourite restaurant where you can treat him for his birthday. Your ideas are well-extended and supported throughout the letter, reflecting a strong command of task requirements and maintaining an appropriate, friendly tone from start to finish.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
Your response demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You manage paragraphing well, with each paragraph serving a distinct purpose: greeting and initial apology, reasons for enjoyment, explanation of absence, and alternative plans. You use cohesive devices reasonably well to guide the reader, such as 'Firstly,' 'Unfortunately,' and 'Nonetheless.' To move towards a higher band, you could aim for even more seamless transitions between sentences and paragraphs, occasionally reducing reliance on standard discourse markers to make the overall flow appear more natural and less mechanical.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.5
You use an adequate and mostly natural range of vocabulary that serves the task well, employing functional terms such as 'social gatherings,' 'work schedule,' and 'celebrations.' You also attempt some less common vocabulary items like 'working abroad' and 'reach out.' However, your lexical resource is held back at this level because some phrasing is a bit repetitive—for instance, using 'enjoy' and 'make it' multiple times across short sentences. A few minor word choices could also be more precise, and pushing to the next band would require incorporating a wider variety of sophisticated synonyms and idiomatic phrases.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0
You demonstrate good control of grammar and punctuation, successfully employing a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Your use of subordinate clauses—such as 'because I know how much Chris will enjoy the surprise' and 'once I'm home'—adds variety. There are frequent error-free sentences, and your verb tenses are handled reliably. While minor slips occur, such as the slight repetition in 'making it because I know how much Chris will enjoy the surprise, I know Chris usually enjoys,' these do not impede communication. To reach an even higher band, you would need to sustain a wider range of complex grammatical patterns with near-total accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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