Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 Sharma,

I hope this letter finds you in radiant health. I am very happy after recieving your invitation for Chris's surprise birthday party. Unfortunately, I cannot attend this party owing to my business meeting on that day.

I think Chris will enjoy his surprise birthday party because he loves gifts and surprises since his school time. This party is going to be organised by his parents then defintely he will like it.

However, I will not be able to attend the party because i have an important meeting at work with the CEO of my company. As you know i am a manager there and have to attend this meeting at any cost.

Moreover, I am planning to see Chris on the eve of Christmas. I will have vaccations during the last week of December and Chris will also free from his College. I will make plan to go for Blue Mountains so that we can spend quality of time together.

Hoping to see him soon.

Yours lovingly,

Raman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises, give a work-related reason for missing the party, and suggest meeting during the Christmas period. The reason for absence is clear and relevant, while the proposed Blue Mountains trip gives the alternative plan some useful detail. However, the explanation of why Chris will enjoy the party is less developed: saying he “loves gifts and surprises” could be supported with a specific example or a clearer link to the people organising it. Also, the prompt specifies “Mr and Mrs Collins,” but you address “Mr and Mrs Sharma”; check the names carefully so the letter is fully appropriate to its context. Overall, the main ideas are relevant, though some need fuller development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for the party, your absence, and the alternative meeting, followed by an appropriate closing. This makes the main information easy to locate. However, progression between ideas is sometimes mechanical: “However” introduces another explanation of your absence even though the previous paragraph has already stated it, and “Moreover” does not clearly signal the shift to your future plan. The repeated explanation of being unable to attend also uses space that could develop the party or meeting details. Use clearer links between each purpose, and make references more precise—for example, specify the date or timing of the proposed outing rather than relying on “the eve of Christmas” and “the last week of December.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range for a personal letter, including phrases such as “radiant health,” “owing to,” “at any cost,” and “spend quality of time together.” Some attempts at less common or formal language are not natural in context: “radiant health” sounds overly elaborate for this friendly letter, and “spend quality of time” is an awkward collocation. There are also spelling errors, including “recieving,” “defintely,” and “vaccations,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation of “i.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, but careful proofreading and more natural everyday expressions would improve accuracy and tone. Aim for precise, idiomatic wording rather than adding formality for its own sake.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and the main message remains clear. For example, “I cannot attend this party owing to my business meeting on that day” communicates the reason effectively, while the sentence beginning “I will have…” combines future plans with a time clause. Some grammatical errors remain. In “Chris will also free from his College,” the verb “be” is missing; “I will make plan” needs an article; and “since his school time” has an awkward grammatical construction. The lowercase “i” should also be capitalised throughout. Review articles, omitted verbs, and sentence punctuation, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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