Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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!

First of all I want to thank you for inviting me to the surprise party that you planned for Chris on his birthday. This is really a good plan. He is very excited for his birthday and a surprise party willl enhance his excitement and happiness as loves surprises. Additionally, I feel he'll enjoy celebrating his day with his family, friends, and relatives, this will make his day more special.

As much as I am excited to know about your plan, unfortunately I will not able to come to the party as there are some work deliverabilies which cannot be postponed. I will be out of the town on that day. I will definitely miss celebrating with him.

However, I am planning to meet Chris next weekend at you house and planning to celebrate with you all again. I hope this sounds good to you. Once again, I would like to thank you. I will see you soon.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises and would value celebrating with family and friends, give work commitments and travel as the reason for your absence, and suggest meeting the following weekend. The purpose and friendly tone are clear throughout. The explanation of why the party will appeal to Chris is relevant, but remains fairly general; one specific detail about what Chris enjoys or how the family could make the event special would develop it further. The alternative plan is also somewhat vague: “next weekend at your house” does not specify a day or confirm whether Chris will be available. Adding a practical detail would make the arrangements more convincing and complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: appreciation and reasons Chris will enjoy the party, an explanation for your absence, and an alternative plan. Paragraphing supports this progression, and transitions such as “Additionally,” “As much as,” and “However” help connect the points. This gives the message a coherent structure. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and the final paragraph repeats “planning” in “I am planning to meet … and planning to celebrate.” The reference in “this will make his day more special” is also attached awkwardly to the preceding clause. Use a full stop or a linking phrase there, and vary the transitions so the connections feel more natural and less formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a personal letter, including “surprise party,” “deliverables,” “postponed,” and “celebrating,” and the intended meaning remains clear. There are also some imprecise or unnatural choices that limit flexibility and control. “Enhance his excitement and happiness” is understandable but not a natural collocation in this context; “make him even more excited” would sound more idiomatic. “Out of the town” and “at you house” are also inaccurate expressions, while “work deliverabilies” contains a spelling error and is not the clearest way to describe your obligations. Aim for precise, natural phrases suited to an informal letter, and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “As much as I am excited …, unfortunately …” and the reason clause “as there are some work …”. Most ideas are understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. In “I will not able to come,” the infinitive needs “be”; “as loves surprises” needs a subject, such as “as he loves surprises”; and “I am planning to meet … and planning to celebrate” would be clearer with parallel structure, for example, “I plan to meet … and celebrate.” The sentence joining “relatives” to “this will make” also needs stronger punctuation or a conjunction. Check verb patterns, omitted subjects, and sentence boundaries when editing.

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

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