Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I am writing to apologise you that I will not be able to attend Chris's birthday party.

Firstly, I want to thank you to invite me on the party. This surprise birthday party is a great idea to make this birthday special. Chris will be delighted to see all his friends at his home, this will make his birthday event more special and memorable. Moreover, he will be totally surprised to see his friends and parents together celebrating for him.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to join the party beacuse I will be out of city with my parents on that day. My uncle's wedding is planned on that day that is why I will be there with my family.

I have planned to see Chris next weekend at my home, so that I can celebrate his belated birthday and spend some time with him.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards,

Eman.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain why Chris will enjoy seeing friends and family together, give the reason you cannot attend, and suggest celebrating with him at your home next weekend. The explanation that the gathering will be “special and memorable” is relevant, and the family wedding provides a clear reason for your absence. The plan to meet is also specific enough to fulfil the task. To strengthen the response further, develop the alternative plan a little more—for example, suggest an activity or ask whether Chris is available—so it feels more fully arranged. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the ideas are relevant, though some are more developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: you thank the parents and explain the party’s appeal, then give your reason for missing it, and finish with a plan to see Chris. Paragraphing helps distinguish these points, and transitions such as “Moreover” and “Unfortunately” guide the reader. However, some linking is mechanical, particularly “Firstly” and “Moreover,” and the sentence beginning “Chris will be delighted…” joins two complete ideas with a comma, making the relationship less clear. The closing “I hope to hear from you soon” is understandable but does not connect strongly to the proposed plan. Use a few more natural transitions and clearer sentence boundaries to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and communicates the main ideas, with useful choices such as “delighted,” “memorable,” and “belated birthday.” There is some repetition of “party,” “birthday,” and “special,” and a few expressions are not natural in this context, including “thank you to invite me on the party” and “out of city.” The spelling error “beacuse” is also noticeable, although the intended meaning remains clear. Aim for more accurate collocations and a little more variety when describing the celebration and your plans. For instance, “thank you for inviting me to the party” and “away from the city” would sound more idiomatic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the reason clause “I will not be able to join the party because…” and the purpose clause “so that I can celebrate…”. The message remains clear despite some grammatical errors. For example, “I am writing to apologise you” needs the pattern “apologise to you,” while “I want to thank you to invite me” should be “thank you for inviting me.” In “Chris will be delighted to see all his friends at his home, this will make…,” a comma joins two independent clauses; use a full stop or a conjunction. Review prepositions and clause punctuation, and vary sentence structures while maintaining accuracy.

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

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