Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-15

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 7.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

Tank you so much for inviting me in Chris's birthday surprise party. I am sure, he will absolutely love it, especially because he enjoys spending time with close friends and family. He has mentioned many times how much he appreciates thoughtful gestures, so I believe this celebration will mean a lot to him.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the party. I have an important work commitment that I can not reschedule, and it happens to fall on the same evening. I am really disappointed to miss such special occasion, but I hope you understand.

However, I would still love to celebrate with Chris's. I am planning to take him for lunch the following weekend and may be we can go to his favourite cafe near the river. If he is free, i would also like to spend the afternoon with him, perhaps going for a walk or watching up properly. I think he would enjoy having some relaxed time after the excitement of the party.

Thank you again for including me in your plan. I hope the party goes wonderfully, and please give Chris my warmest wishes.

Kind Regards,

Krishna

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three points clearly and maintain an appropriate, warm tone for a letter to Chris’s parents. You explain why the surprise should appeal to Chris, linking it to his enjoyment of time with close friends and family and his appreciation of thoughtful gestures. The work commitment gives a clear reason for your absence, and the lunch plan for the following weekend offers a specific alternative. These ideas are extended with relevant details, such as the café and possible afternoon activities. To make the response even more fully developed, clarify the final activity: “watching up properly” is unclear, so specify what you would watch or replace it with a natural activity. Overall, the purpose and all requested details are communicated effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The letter is organised in a clear sequence: thanks and reasons Chris will enjoy the party, an explanation for your absence, an alternative plan, and a courteous closing. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking expressions such as “Unfortunately,” “However,” and “Thank you again” help guide the reader. The references to Chris and the party are generally easy to follow. Some connections could be smoother: “However” introduces the alternative plan appropriately, but the shift from lunch to spending the afternoon could be joined more naturally. The unclear phrase “watching up properly” also interrupts the flow because the reader cannot tell what activity you mean. With more precise phrasing and slightly smoother links between related plans, the organisation would feel more consistently polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the purpose and includes suitable expressions such as “thoughtful gestures,” “work commitment,” “celebrate,” and “warmest wishes.” These choices help create a friendly, considerate tone. There are, however, some spelling and word-choice errors that limit precision: “Tank” should be “Thank,” “may be” should be “maybe,” and “watching up properly” does not convey a clear meaning. “Birthday surprise party” is understandable, though “surprise birthday party” is the more natural collocation. Continue building accuracy with common phrases and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise activity vocabulary would also help you express the alternative plan naturally and avoid ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including the reason clause in “because he enjoys spending time with close friends and family” and the conditional “If he is free, I would also like…”. Most of the message remains easy to understand, but some grammatical and punctuation errors persist. In “I am sure, he will,” the comma is unnecessary; “I am sure he will” is correct. “I can not” is normally written “cannot,” and “such special occasion” needs an article: “such a special occasion.” Capitalise “I” in “i would,” and avoid the apostrophe in “Chris’s” when referring to celebrating with Chris (“celebrate with Chris”). Greater consistency in these details, alongside your existing sentence variety, would strengthen accuracy.

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

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