Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-25

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 hope this letter finds you well, I appreciate your invitation for Chris's birthday party. I am sure he will love the surprise bash as he is scheduled for a trip home after the exhausting exam week. Moreover he will be accompanied by his girlfriend. It will be a perfect get together for each one of us.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it as I have a job interview the following monday and I have to board my scheduled flight during the same weekend. It is once in a lifetime opportunity for me to enter into the nuclear industry that I once dreamt of.

However, we planned a trip later this month for Hobart with all our college friends soon after the graduation to compensate. It is a five day trip with major outdoor activities and a rave party so that all of us can finally enjoy one last time before we get busy with our jobs. I hope you have fun at the surprise.

Yours lovingly,

Ranbir

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain why Chris may enjoy the gathering, give a specific reason for your absence, and suggest a later trip with college friends. The details about the exam week, girlfriend, interview, and Hobart plan make the letter personal and relevant. Your explanation of the interview and flight is especially clear, while the reason Chris will enjoy the party is somewhat less fully developed: the trip home and his girlfriend’s presence are mentioned, but the connection to why the surprise itself will appeal to him could be explained more explicitly. The alternative plan is concrete, though it would help to say how you will arrange to meet Chris during the trip. Overall, the task is covered with a clear, consistent purpose.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear progression from acknowledging the invitation, to explaining your absence, to proposing another occasion. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Unfortunately,” and “However” help signal the relationships between ideas. The final paragraph includes several connected details about the Hobart trip, so its main proposal could be made more prominent—for example, state directly that you would like to see Chris there, then add the activities as supporting information. The opening sentence also joins two complete thoughts with only a comma, which slightly interrupts the flow. Overall, the organisation is logical and easy to follow, with some room to make connections and emphasis more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for a friendly personal letter, including “exhausting exam week,” “once in a lifetime opportunity,” “nuclear industry,” and “outdoor activities.” These choices communicate the situation clearly, and some less common expressions add personal detail. At times, however, the wording is either informal or not quite natural for this context: “surprise bash” and “rave party” are casual, while “trip later this month for Hobart” is an awkward collocation. “Scheduled” is also repeated. These do not prevent understanding, but more precise and consistently natural phrasing would strengthen the letter. You show some flexibility with vocabulary, while occasional word-choice and collocation issues keep the expression from being fully controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the reason clause “as I have a job interview” and the purpose clause “so that all of us can finally enjoy.” Most ideas remain clear, but some grammatical and punctuation errors are present. The opening joins two independent clauses with a comma; use a full stop or a conjunction. In “we planned a trip later this month,” the past tense is less suitable for a future arrangement; “we are planning” would be clearer. “It is a five day trip” needs a hyphen in the compound adjective, and “before we get busy” shifts tense from the earlier future framing. Review sentence boundaries and tense consistency, while continuing to use varied structures.

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