Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-23

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 mr and mrs collins,

I got your letter about the surprise birthday party you are about to have for chris and thank you for inviting me for same. As much as i would love to join you people for the amazing experience that i can not even explain but due to my job seminars which is commencing on next week i won't be able to join you for this event. I should have been able to join you if the seminar was in my province bit the seminar is going to happen in china and it will be to tidious for me to travel this much.

But i do have plan to see chris in summer as i will be joining my family for wedding of my cousin. so i was thinking that i can come by to see chris for 2-3 days and we can go for kayaking and hiking as chris likes to do activities like that.

Thank you again for inviting me and sorry for not coming.

Yours sincerely,

Priyanshu Jayswal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that Chris enjoys kayaking and hiking, give a reason for missing the party, and suggest visiting in summer for two or three days. However, the ideas are only partly developed. The reason for your absence is understandable, but “job seminars” and the travel difficulty could be explained more clearly, and the proposed visit is tentative (“I was thinking that I can come by”) rather than a definite plan. You also do not explain specifically why Chris would enjoy the surprise itself. Add a clear detail about Chris’s personality or past reactions to surprises, and make the alternative arrangements more precise, such as suggesting dates or asking whether the parents can help coordinate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally clear order: you respond to the invitation and explain your absence, then move to a future visit, and close politely. The paragraph break helps distinguish the explanation from the alternative plan. Linking expressions such as “As much as,” “But,” and “so” make the relationships between ideas understandable, although some transitions feel mechanical or informal. The first paragraph contains several ideas in one long sentence, which makes the explanation less easy to follow. Separate the invitation response, reason for declining, and future plan into clearer sentences, and use references such as “the party” or “the seminar” consistently so the reader can follow each point without effort.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main message, including relevant activity words such as “kayaking” and “hiking,” and phrases such as “surprise birthday party” and “job seminars.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “inviting me for same,” “you people,” and “travel this much.” There are also spelling and word-form errors, such as “tidious,” which reduce the overall accuracy. Aim for natural expressions suited to a friendly but respectful letter: for example, “thank you for inviting me,” “the two of you,” and “the journey would be too demanding.” More precise vocabulary would make your explanation sound clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “As much as I would love to join you … I won’t be able to join you.” The main message remains understandable, but there are several errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example, “my job seminars which is commencing” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “on next week” uses an unnecessary preposition. The long opening sentence also joins several clauses in a way that is difficult to control. Use shorter sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and tense patterns; for instance, “my work seminar, which begins next week” is a clearer structure. Capitalise “I” and names consistently.

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