Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 collins,

i hope you are doing well.i am writing this letter to applogize regarding not attending the surprise birthday party that you and and your wife organized for chris.

in the beginning i would be really sorry for not showing up on this saturday evening birthday party of chris.As chris is my best friend so i really want him to enjoy this lovely party of his wonderful day.moreover,chris recently completed his bachelor's in australia and after hectic schedule;he should have some fun .Hence,he will really enjoy this surprise party.after all he will get a chance meet up with all family and friends on this party.

the reason for not coming to the birthday party is my cousin's reception party.on the day of chris birthday,my first cousin have her reception party.so i have to show up on her wedding function with my family as it was palnned previously.

however,i really feel bad to miss this opportunity to meet chris after several years. As chris is staying for one month,i will be really pleased if i can visit him on next weekend.i am planning to book a surprise dinner party at east heaven for chris.

i hope you will consider my appology as well as request for surprise dinner party.

regards,

prabhleen kaur,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you explain that Chris will enjoy seeing family and friends, give your cousin’s reception as the reason you cannot attend, and propose meeting the following weekend for dinner. These details make the letter relevant and its purpose clear. The explanation of the party’s appeal is somewhat general, however, and the plan to meet could be more fully specified—for example, you could suggest a particular day or say you will confirm the booking. The opening and closing also communicate your apology and request, though a warmer, more natural tone would suit a personal letter. The response covers the task well overall, with some ideas less developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: apology and reason for writing, explanation of why Chris will enjoy the party, your reason for declining, and an alternative plan. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these points, and linking expressions such as “moreover,” “hence,” and “however” show attempts to connect ideas. At times, though, the links feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely; “in the beginning” is awkward before an apology, and “after all” does not smoothly introduce the final point about meeting friends. Some sentences also run together because spacing after full stops is missing. Use simpler, more natural transitions and check that each paragraph develops one clear point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main message, including relevant expressions such as “surprise birthday party,” “reception party,” and “book a surprise dinner.” There are also attempts at less common language, such as “hectic schedule,” but several word choices, collocations, and spelling errors reduce naturalness and precision. For example, “applogize,” “palnned,” and “appology” are misspelled, while “show up on her wedding function” is not a natural collocation. “Completed his bachelor’s in Australia” is also unclear in this context. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common phrases for invitations, apologies, and making plans; this will make your adequate range more flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the reason clause in “The reason for not coming … is my cousin’s reception party” and the conditional “I will be really pleased if I can visit him.” The message remains understandable, but errors in sentence construction, verb forms, agreement, articles, and punctuation are noticeable. For example, “my first cousin have her reception party” needs subject–verb agreement, and “a chance meet up” is missing “to.” The opening also has a run-on sequence: “I hope you are doing well.i am writing…” Capitalise sentence beginnings, separate complete sentences with appropriate punctuation, and check verb agreement and infinitive forms. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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

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