Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-16

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 are doing well. First of all, Thank you very much for inviting me to Chris surprise birthday party. It is a lovely idea, I am sure he will definately love this idea.

I know that Chris love to enjoy most of his time with friends and family members. I think Chris will really enjoy party, beacuse he will be happy to see all his favourite peolpe there. Its really a great idea to give him suprise birthday part and this celbration will be perfecr oppurtunity.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend Chris suprise birthday party because next week I am going to travel Toronto for my cousin's wedding. I already booked my flight tickets several weeks ago, and now I cannot change my plan. I am feeling really bad that I am misiing thi important event. However, I wanted to take Chris for a dinner to his favourite Italian resturant and i will give his present there. Please, let me know which time works best for Cris to come to dinner with me. I will look forward to your response.

I hope everything goes well at the party.

Thank you once again for inviting me.

Best wishes,

Mrs. Priya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, appropriate tone for writing to Chris’s parents. You explain why Chris would enjoy the gathering, linking it to seeing “all his favourite people,” give a specific reason for your absence (a previously booked trip to Toronto for a cousin’s wedding), and suggest dinner at his favourite Italian restaurant as an alternative. These details make the response relevant and complete. The explanation of why the party will appeal to Chris is somewhat general, and the alternative plan could be more definite by proposing a day or time rather than asking the parents which time works. Overall, the key ideas are clear and supported, with room to develop them more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible sequence: you thank the parents and comment on the party, explain Chris’s likely reaction, give your reason for not attending, and propose another way to celebrate. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and transitions such as “Unfortunately” and “However” make the relationship between ideas clear. The closing is also appropriate. To strengthen progression further, avoid repeating the party idea in several nearby sentences, such as “lovely idea” and “great idea,” and connect the dinner proposal more smoothly to your apology. Some references, including “this celebration,” are slightly vague, and more precise linking would make the letter feel more consistently controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main message, including relevant expressions such as “surprise birthday party,” “flight tickets,” and “favourite Italian restaurant.” However, the range is limited and several spelling errors are noticeable, including “definately,” “beacuse,” “peolpe,” and “resturant.” Some word combinations are also unnatural or imprecise: “Chris love to enjoy most of his time” and “take Chris for a dinner” do not sound idiomatic. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your plans, but they reduce accuracy and naturalness. Build a bank of common collocations for invitations, celebrations, travel, and making arrangements, and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, for example, “I will not be able to attend … because next week I am going to travel Toronto for my cousin’s wedding.” The meaning is generally understandable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to limit control. Examples include “Chris love” instead of “Chris loves,” “Chris surprise birthday party” instead of “Chris’s surprise birthday party,” and “travel Toronto” rather than “travel to Toronto.” The sentence beginning “It is a lovely idea” also joins two independent thoughts with a comma. Practise possessives, subject–verb agreement, articles, and prepositions, then check each sentence for a complete and correctly punctuated structure.

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