Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you are doing great. I was so excited to receive the invitation to Chris's suprise birthday party. I am convinced that he would love the idea so much, especially because we had a conversation recently when he told me that he has never celebrated his birthday in a grand style and he would love to throw himself a party for his 25th birthday next year.

Sadly, I wont be able available for the event because I am travelling back to Nigeria next week for my sister's wedding ceremony and I wont be back to Australia until the end of November, which is after Chris's birthday.

He is aware of my trip to Nigeria and we have decided to visit the new restaurant in Melbourne when I'm back in town to celebrate his birthday in arrears. Nevertheless, if there is anything you want me to do during the planning process, I'd be more than happy to help.

Thank you for the invitation.

Yours sincerely,

Mariam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The letter covers all three requested points clearly and appropriately. You explain why Chris would enjoy the surprise by linking it to his recent comment about wanting a celebration, give a specific reason for your absence (your sister’s wedding in Nigeria), and propose a concrete alternative: visiting a new Melbourne restaurant after you return. The offer to help with the planning adds a considerate, relevant detail. These ideas are well developed and the purpose of the letter remains clear throughout. To make the response even more complete, you could specify a more definite time for the restaurant visit, such as a particular week or weekend, rather than saying only “when I’m back in town.” Overall, the task is handled fully and effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The information follows a clear, logical order: you respond to the invitation and explain Chris’s likely reaction, then give your reason for not attending, and finally suggest another celebration. The paragraph breaks support this progression, while phrases such as “Sadly,” “Nevertheless,” and “Thank you for the invitation” help guide the reader. The letter format is also appropriate, with a suitable greeting and sign-off. Cohesion is generally effective, though “Nevertheless” signals contrast more strongly than the relationship between the offer to help and the preceding plan requires. A simpler link, or a separate sentence that clearly introduces your offer, would make this transition more natural. Overall, the organisation is clear and the linking is flexible, with only a small opportunity to refine the connection between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to express the purpose and details of the letter, including “invitation,” “celebrated,” “wedding ceremony,” and “planning process.” Some choices show an attempt at more precise or less common expression, but a few are inaccurate or unnatural in context. “Suprise” is misspelled, “throw himself a party” is not the natural phrasing for organising a celebration, and “celebrate his birthday in arrears” does not convey the intended idea idiomatically. “Doing great” is also rather informal for a letter to a friend’s parents, although the overall tone remains warm. Choosing more natural collocations and checking spelling would improve precision and stylistic control while preserving your friendly voice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response includes a useful mix of sentence forms, including the complex explanation beginning “especially because” and the time clause “when I’m back in town.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and punctuation generally supports the letter’s flow. A few grammatical errors remain. In “I wont be able available,” the verb pattern is incorrect; write “I won’t be available.” The repeated “I wont” also needs the apostrophe in “won’t.” In “he told me that he has never celebrated,” the tense sequence would be more consistent as “he had never celebrated,” since the statement is reported from a recent past conversation. These are local issues rather than barriers to understanding. More consistent control of verb forms and contractions would strengthen an otherwise clear range of structures.

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

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