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 and Mrs Collins,

I'm writing this letter in response to your heartfelt invitation for your surprise birthday celebration plan on Chris's 24th birthday.

I think Chris would be amazed after experiencing my unplanned presence on his birthday. As it has been ages since we met after completion of our high school and diverging paths of science and commerce, we usually interact with other via video calling and texting on a group. Therefore, he would be surprised and extremely joyful after watching me at his birthday party.

I wish I could've attend the party and made your surprise paln successful; nonetheless, my current internship at Hospital have tied me up with ropes. Along with strict practical treacher, the stringent requirements for my current program makes it impossible to have a day off in my clinical hours.

However, I'll plan to have a gathering at your place soon once my program ends next month and I promise to make a surprise visit on his 2nd anniversary in the month of January which is also a sweet occassion to celebrate.

Warm wishes,

Hari Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain why Chris would enjoy seeing you, give a reason you cannot attend, and suggest meeting after your programme ends. The explanation that you have not met since high school and usually communicate online makes the surprise relevant, while your internship and clinical hours provide a clear reason for declining. However, the alternative plan is less fully explained: “a gathering at your place soon” is vague, and the reference to Chris’s “2nd anniversary” is unclear, so the parents may not know when or what you are proposing. Clarify the occasion and suggest a specific date or activity. The letter is appropriately addressed and signed, but a more precise plan would make the response more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: you respond to the invitation, explain Chris’s likely reaction, give your reason for being unavailable, and then propose another meeting. Paragraphing helps distinguish these points, and transitions such as “Therefore” and “However” guide the reader through the message. This gives the response a coherent progression. Some links are less smooth or precise, though: “Therefore” repeats the idea of Chris being surprised without adding much, and the final paragraph moves from a gathering after your programme to a surprise visit in January without explaining how the two plans relate. Make the alternative arrangement one clearly connected proposal, with a specific time and purpose, to strengthen the progression further.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for a personal letter, including “heartfelt invitation,” “internship,” “stringent requirements,” and “clinical hours.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and you attempt some less common expressions. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “surprise birthday celebration plan,” “interact with other,” “tied me up with ropes,” and “surprise paln successful.” There are also spelling errors, including “occassion” and “treacher,” which reduce the accuracy of the vocabulary. Prefer natural, direct phrasing—for example, “surprise birthday party,” “keep in touch,” and “my internship commitments prevent me from taking a day off.” Proofreading would help you use your range more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including the subordinate clause beginning “As it has been ages since we met” and the contrast introduced by “nonetheless.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “I could've attend” should be “I could have attended,” and “my current internship at Hospital have tied me up” needs a correctly formed verb and article, such as “my internship at the hospital has kept me busy.” In “the requirements … makes,” the plural subject requires “make.” Review these patterns and check each sentence for subject–verb agreement and verb form. More accurate control of these structures would make the letter easier to read.

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

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