Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-12

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 Collins,

I'm writing this letter to let you know about my attendance that can alter as your planed schedule.

I have some suggetions for a surprise. Firstly, you can book yart for a weekend, so all of your guest will enjoy going on yart at the 'Merin Island'. Additionally, we will celebrate with a party, a cake, and a dinner prepared by Chris’s favourite chef to make the occasion more emotional and memorable for him. Not only he's foodist but also he like a folk music, so I will especially perform a concert. Hence, he would thrilled to receive this treat.

Although it's best idea to surprise Chrish in such a way, I have important meeting that sceduled on his birthday. This is very crucial to me as my company offered me promotion on condition of sucess in presetation. So, I won't be able to make it thay day.

Alternatively, I'm thinking to offer an option. Instead of booking on his birthday, we can plan this event on follwing weekend just after his date of birth on friday or I will join you on Saturday directly at Island.

Yours faithfully,

Dharmik

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three requested points: you explain why Chris may enjoy a surprise, give a reason you cannot attend, and suggest meeting or celebrating at another time. The details about his favourite food and folk music make the first point relevant, while the work meeting and possible promotion explain your absence. However, the opening says your attendance “can alter as your planed schedule,” which leaves your position unclear, and the alternative plan is not settled: it is unclear whether the party should move to the following weekend or whether you will meet them on Saturday. Develop one clear, practical plan and explain how you will see Chris then. This would make the response more complete and purposeful.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for the party idea, your reason for not attending, and an alternative. Connectors such as “Firstly,” “Additionally,” and “Although” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is sometimes difficult to follow. The opening refers to attendance changing according to a “planed schedule,” and the final paragraph offers two alternatives without clarifying which one you prefer. “Hence” also makes the conclusion sound more formal and abrupt than the surrounding letter. Organise the final paragraph around one definite arrangement, and use clear references to dates and people so the reader can follow the plan without having to infer what you mean.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of vocabulary relevant to the occasion, including “memorable,” “occasion,” “promotion,” and “condition,” and you provide specific details about food and music. However, several spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the message difficult to interpret, such as “yart,” “foodist,” “sceduled,” and “presetation.” Some combinations are also unnatural: “book yart for a weekend” and “offer an option” do not clearly express the intended arrangements. Choose familiar, precise expressions rather than reaching for wording you are unsure about; for example, explain that you would like to arrange a boat trip or meet on a particular Saturday. More accurate spelling and natural collocations would make your ideas easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast introduced by “Although” and the “Not only … but also” construction. These attempts show some range, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “he would thrilled” needs a form of “be,” and “he like a folk music” has problems with agreement and article use. In “all of your guest will enjoy,” the plural form is needed. The opening sentence is also difficult to parse because its grammatical relationships are unclear. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb patterns, then check each sentence to ensure its meaning is complete and clear.

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

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