Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I am really thankful to you for inviting me to Chris's surprise birthday party. Unfortunately, I would be unable to attend the party because of a personal reason.

I believe that Chris will definitely enjoy this party as he really loves surpurises. I know that you are inviting all of his close friends, and I feel he would be completely amazed after seeing his all friends together after such a long time.

I truly want to join this event, but my exams are scheduled for upcoming month, so I need to prepare for my studies. It is the last semester of my graduation, therefore I would like to complete my education with remarkable results. Thus, I am unable to visit you next month for Chris's birthday.

After completeing my studies, I am thinking of organizing a graduation party to celebrate the last year of my education. I would invite you and Chris to this event. I exteremly want to meet my friend as it has been a long time since we met. I feel that the graduation party would be a great opportunity for reunion with all my college friends.

I hope you will consider my situation, and I look forward to seeeing you and Chris soon.

Yours sincerely,

Harpreet Kaur.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain that Chris loves surprises and would be amazed to see close friends together, give your exams as the reason for declining, and suggest meeting at a graduation party. The reason for absence is supported with relevant detail about your final semester and wanting strong results, so the message feels purposeful. The alternative plan is also specific enough to show how you hope to meet again. To make the ideas more fully developed, clarify the timing of the graduation party and whether it is a definite invitation or only a possibility; “I am thinking of organizing” is tentative. Overall, the letter maintains a clear, appropriate purpose throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter is organised into clear paragraphs, with the invitation response, reason for absence, alternative plan, and closing each given a logical place. The progression is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Unfortunately,” “therefore,” and “Thus” help connect ideas. You also use references such as “this event” and “the graduation party” to maintain the topic. At times, however, the links feel slightly mechanical or repetitive: “therefore” and “Thus” occur close together, and the final paragraph repeats the wish to meet after already introducing the reunion plan. A more concise transition into the alternative arrangement would make the cohesion more flexible and natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the letter and includes some useful choices, such as “completely amazed,” “scheduled,” “remarkable results,” and “reunion.” These help explain your feelings and plans clearly. However, several spelling errors and awkward word choices reduce precision, including “surpurises,” “exteremly,” and “see[e]ing” (spelled “see[e]ing” in the response). Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “personal reason” and “after completeing my studies.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, especially in a personal letter. The meaning remains clear, but more consistent control of word forms and phrasing would make the vocabulary sound more fluent and assured.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a reason clause in “as he really loves surprises” and a result structure with “therefore.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and punctuation and paragraphing are generally controlled. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in verb forms and sentence construction: “After completeing my studies” should be “After completing my studies,” while “I look forward to seeing” requires the gerund form. “I feel he would be completely amazed after seeing his all friends” also has an awkwardly ordered phrase; write “all his friends.” These errors rarely obstruct understanding, but proofreading verb patterns and word order would improve accuracy while preserving your range of sentence structures.

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

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