Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-13

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 6.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you all are doing great, I writing this to inform you that I received you invitation for Chris's birthday event. I am feeling sorry while informing you that I won't be able join Chris on his 18th birthday.

I know Chris will love this surprice party. Surprices fascinates him. As it is mentioned in the invitation card that you have arranged games and singing competition post birthday party, it will make him super excited.

I wish I could join him in this exciting moment. But I fear that my exams are going to held in that week. I would have come to your place if the exams were not that important. However, there's another surprice for him waiting from my side. I am planning to visit him in the very next week after his birthday. I am confirming the date and then I will book the ticket accordingly.

I am sure that he will shock to see me, and definately going to complain me for not joining him on his birthday.

Please accept my sorry and wish Chris the happy birthday from my side.

Your Sincerely,

Owais Ansari

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises and would be excited by the games and singing, give your exams as the reason for missing the party, and propose visiting the following week. These details make the letter relevant and give the reader a clear sense of your intentions. The alternative plan is somewhat tentative, however: “I am confirming the date” does not give a specific day or a firm arrangement. The explanation of why Chris will enjoy the party is also brief, though the activities provide useful support. To strengthen the response further, make the proposed visit more definite and extend one or two details about the celebration or your plans together.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: you acknowledge the invitation, discuss Chris’s likely reaction, explain your absence, and then suggest another visit. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and transitions such as “However” and “But” guide the reader through the change in focus. Some linking is less smooth or precise. For example, “I hope you all are doing great, I writing this to inform you…” joins two ideas awkwardly, while “there’s another surprise for him waiting from my side” makes the connection to your visit slightly unclear. The closing also moves quickly from your apology to birthday wishes. Use clearer sentence boundaries and refer directly to the planned visit so the progression feels more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “surprise party,” “singing competition,” “exams,” and “book the ticket.” There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “super excited” and “exciting moment,” although these are informal or repetitive for a letter to a friend’s parents. Several spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy: “surprice/surprices,” “definately,” and “complain me” are noticeable, and “I am feeling sorry” is not a natural way to express regret. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, while varying repeated words such as “surprise” and “excited.” This would make your vocabulary more precise and appropriately toned without changing the clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex forms, including the conditional “I would have come… if the exams were not that important” and the sentence beginning “As it is mentioned…”. The message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur in basic sentence patterns. Examples include “I writing this” instead of a correctly formed present continuous, “won’t be able join” without “to,” and “exams are going to held” without “be.” There are also problems with sentence boundaries in the opening and with the construction “he will shock to see me.” Review auxiliary verbs, infinitives, and conditional forms, and separate the opening ideas into complete sentences. More accurate control of these patterns would make the letter smoother.

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

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