Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-14

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 hope you are doing good. I am writing letter that you are organising surpising birthday party for Chris. I very pleased that you are invited me for the party.

Firstly, Chris likes the suprises we all knows that. Because he's turning to 30th so it will be a special for him. Moreover next year,He is getting married it will be a special moments with everyone.

Secondly,The reason that i won't be able to attend for the party mainly of my final exam on that date. If i couldn't write it i will fail the subject. The whole semster will be in critual suituation then.

Furthermore, After completion of semster, I have a one month vacation that time i will come to your house and the spend time with u all.

I sincerely apologises to your family members that I'm going to miss Chris birthday party.

Yours faithfully,

Pradeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises and that turning 30 makes the occasion special, give your final exam as the reason for missing the party, and suggest visiting during your vacation. The purpose is clear and the apology suits the situation. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others. The wedding reference (“next year, He is getting married”) is not clearly connected to why this particular party will delight Chris, and the alternative plan lacks a specific date or activity. Make the plan more definite—for example, propose a particular weekend and suggest celebrating together—so the parents know when and how you hope to meet Chris.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: an opening, separate sections for the party and your absence, an alternative meeting plan, and a closing apology. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Furthermore” help readers follow the main points, and the ideas progress in a sensible order. To make the organisation more natural and polished, use paragraphing and transitions that suit a personal letter rather than relying on a repeated numbered sequence. For instance, connect the exam explanation directly to your proposed vacation visit. Some punctuation and spacing around transitions also interrupt the flow, as in “Secondly,The reason” and “Moreover next year,He.” Clearer sentence boundaries and smoother links would strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main message, with relevant terms such as “surprise party,” “final exam,” “vacation,” and “apologises.” However, the range is limited, and several noticeable spelling, word-form, and collocation errors make parts less natural: “surpising,” “suprises,” “special moments,” and “critical situation” (written as “critual suituation”). Informal “u” is also unsuitable for this letter. Choose accurate, conventional expressions and vary the language used to describe Chris’s likely enjoyment and your plans. For example, “Chris loves surprises” is more natural than “Chris likes the suprises,” while “spend time with you all” is clearer and more appropriate than “spend time with u all.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand your message. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. Examples include “I am writing letter” (missing an article), “I very pleased” (missing a verb), and “I have a one month vacation” (article use). The sentence beginning “Because he's turning to 30th” is not correctly formed, and “I sincerely apologises” has a subject–verb agreement error. Capitalisation and punctuation also need attention, as in “i” and “Moreover next year,He.” Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, then review articles and agreement before sending.

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