Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-09

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 Aunt,

I hope you and family are doing well. I got your invitation of the surprise party that you arranged for Amit's birthday. I would like to apologize for not attending the partty in advance due to some unavoidable circumstances.

I am very excited for his birthday and he always love the idea of getting surprises from others. When he will find out about the party, I am sure he will be amazed. I would like to attend the party but my mother is not feeling well. She had a gallbladder removal surgury last week, I could not leave her until she will recovered.

I am coming in November to spend my vacation with Amit even I bought the flight ticket as well. I will personally meet him in November and I will be the surprise visit for him. I am very grateful that you have invited me for the party.

We are going to meet soon.

Best regards,

Arsjh kdhfo

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three main points: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises, give a reason for missing the party, and suggest meeting in November. The explanation that your mother is recovering from surgery is relevant, and the planned visit gives the letter a clear alternative. However, some details are unclear or not fully developed: you say you will spend your vacation with Amit but do not suggest a specific time or activity for meeting him. There is also a significant mismatch with the prompt: the letter should be addressed to Mr and Mrs Collins and refer to Chris, but it begins “Dear Aunt” and names Amit instead. These inconsistencies make the response only partially aligned with the task; check the names and recipient carefully and make the meeting plan more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally coherent sequence: you acknowledge the invitation, explain why the recipient’s child would enjoy the party, give your reason for declining, and propose a later visit. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and expressions such as “I would like to apologize” and “In November” signal the purpose of each section. Some links are less clear or mechanical, however. “I could not leave her until she will recovered” does not clearly connect the surgery to your inability to attend, and “We are going to meet soon” repeats the earlier plan without adding information. The shift between Chris and Amit also makes references difficult to follow. Keep the names consistent and use the final lines to clarify when and how you will meet.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “surprise party,” “unavoidable circumstances,” “gallbladder removal surgery,” and “flight ticket.” Some choices show an attempt to express the situation specifically, but several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy: “partty,” “surgury,” and “I got your invitation” are noticeable, while “I will be the surprise visit for him” is an unnatural phrase. “I am very excited for his birthday” is also less natural than a phrase describing excitement about the party. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, but more accurate collocations and careful proofreading would make the letter clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, for example, “I would like to attend the party but my mother is not feeling well,” and the sentence explaining her surgery. The main message remains understandable, but there are several errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. In “he always love,” the verb should agree with “he”; “When he will find out” uses an unsuitable future form after “when”; and “until she will recovered” has an incorrect verb construction. The surgery information is also joined to the next clause with a comma, creating a run-on sentence. Aim for accurate forms such as “he always loves,” “when he finds out,” and “until she has recovered,” and separate complete ideas with a full stop or a suitable conjunction.

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

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