Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear uncle and aunt,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to inform you that I would not be able to attend this surprise party. However. I'm pretty sure that Chris will going to love this surprise party.

Chris like surprises, and he was telling me that he really wish to be surprise by a birthday party. Moreover, you are planning on his 18th birthday. It will bring another glow and joy on Chris's face. And I really want to be there. But, I have my medical exams going on, which I won't be able miss, As it will directly be count in my final score. Additionally, I can come next month on Friendship Day.

I am thinking to give Chris another surprise on Friendship day, it's being long time, we did not went for cinema. so I will book our tickets in advance. And we can spend some quality time together. Don't tell to Chris. It will be surprise for him.

Hope to see you soon.

Best Regards,

Samiridhi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises, give your medical exams as the reason you cannot attend, and suggest meeting on Friendship Day to go to the cinema. These details make the letter relevant and personal. The explanation of why Chris will enjoy the party is less fully developed: the reference to his 18th birthday and the “glow and joy” it will bring is positive, but could explain more specifically why the family’s plan suits him. The alternative plan is clearer, with advance cinema tickets and time together. To strengthen the response, develop each point to a similar level and use the requested opening, “Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,” rather than “Dear uncle and aunt.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a generally sensible order: you introduce the invitation and your absence, explain Chris’s likely reaction, then propose another time to meet. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Moreover,” and “Additionally” help signal relationships between ideas. Some connections feel mechanical or unclear, though. For example, “Additionally, I can come next month on Friendship Day” shifts abruptly from the exam explanation, and the final cinema plan would be easier to follow in its own paragraph. The letter also begins with a salutation that does not match the specified recipients. Use clear paragraphing for the party, your reason for declining, and the alternative plan, and make transitions more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “surprise party,” “medical exams,” “final score,” and “spend some quality time together.” The tone is mostly friendly and appropriate for a personal letter. However, some word choices and collocations are awkward or repetitive, such as “another glow and joy,” “give Chris another surprise,” and “it’s being long time.” “Surprise” is repeated frequently, and “Best Regards” is more formal than the rest of the letter. Aim for more natural expressions and vary repeated wording—for example, describe the celebration as “a memorable way to mark his 18th birthday” and say you have “not been to the cinema together for a long time.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the main message is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. Examples include “Chris will going to love,” “Chris like surprises,” “he really wish to be surprise,” and “we did not went”; these should use correctly formed verbs, such as “will love,” “likes,” “wishes to be surprised,” and “have not been.” There are also punctuation and sentence-boundary problems, including “However.” followed by a new sentence and the comma splice in “I have my medical exams going on, which I won't be able miss, As…”. Practise accurate tense and agreement patterns, and separate complete sentences with appropriate punctuation.

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

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