Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-22
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 5.0)
Dear Mr James,
I am writing this letter to tell you I am not attend chris surprise birthday party which you are organisation for him on his 18th birthday.
My friend chris will extremely happy to see this surprise party and they also like surprise.
On the last birthday of chris, you all family members are not with him and now when they will see all of them with us , that will be very precious time for him and they will capture all good memories of their 18th birthday in mind.
In a home, my mother is sick from 5 days and nobody for takecare of her and i have also office project is given by boss which is extremely important for my life to
I hope you will understand my condition and see you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Anderson Smith
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
You address the main situation by explaining that Chris may value seeing family members and that you cannot attend because your mother is ill and you have an important work project. However, the response is incomplete: it does not give a clear alternative plan to see Chris, and the reason for the party’s appeal is only partly explained. The letter also begins “Dear Mr James” rather than using the requested greeting to Mr and Mrs Collins, and the explanation of your absence ends unfinished (“important for my life to”). The response is 141 words, so it does not meet the 150-word minimum. Develop each bullet point fully, finish the explanation, and propose a specific time and activity with Chris.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic letter structure, with an opening, separate paragraphs for the party and your circumstances, and a closing. This gives the reader some organisation. However, there is no clear progression to the required plan for seeing Chris later, and the final paragraph is incomplete, so the message stops abruptly. Connections between ideas are also sometimes unclear: in the birthday paragraph, the shifts between “he,” “they,” and “them” make it difficult to follow who is being discussed. Use clear paragraph purposes—party, reason for absence, and alternative arrangement—and refer to Chris and his family consistently. A complete final paragraph would make the letter feel more logically finished.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “surprise birthday party,” “precious time,” “memories,” and “important.” These choices communicate the general topic and show an attempt to express personal reasons. However, several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “not attend,” “you are organisation,” “nobody for takecare of her,” and “capture all good memories … in mind.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning less clear. Aim for natural collocations and accurate word forms, for example, “I cannot attend,” “you are organising,” and “look after her.” Check spelling and spacing as well, including “take care” and capitalising “Chris” and “I.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, such as the sentence beginning “On the last birthday of Chris,” and the explanation of your mother’s illness and work project. However, control is inconsistent, and several sentence patterns are faulty. Examples include “I am not attend,” “Chris will extremely happy,” and “my mother is sick from 5 days”; these need corrected verb forms and time expressions. Pronoun agreement is also unclear in “they also like surprise” and “they will capture.” The work-project sentence is unfinished, which leaves its grammatical structure incomplete. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check tense, articles, and agreement before submitting.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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