Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-28

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 7.0)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

Thank you for inviting me for Chris surprise birthday party. I think that is an excellent idea as Chris loves surprises and he will enjoy celebrating his party with friends and family together.

Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to attend his surprise birthday party as I have some important work commitments on that day. I tried to reschedule that, but was unable to do so.

But I was planning to meet Chris on next Sunday during evening time. I was thinking we will go to Chris favorite restaurant at night and have dinner. I was also planning to bring him a surprise birthday gift. Please let me know if Sunday will be convenient for him too.

Thanks for your invitation and I am very sorry as I won't be able to come. I hope to meet Chris on coming Sunday. I hope you all enjoy his birthday party.

Best Wishes,

Asmeet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter clearly covers all three requested points. You explain why Chris will enjoy the event, saying he “loves surprises” and will celebrate with friends and family; you give a clear reason for your absence, namely work commitments that you could not reschedule; and you propose meeting the following Sunday for dinner and a gift. These details make the purpose clear and the tone is appropriately warm and apologetic. The plan to meet is specific, although it could be developed slightly further by suggesting a time or checking whether Chris is free before settling on the restaurant. Overall, the response addresses the task fully and supports its main ideas, with only modest room to make the arrangements more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear, sensible order: you respond to the invitation, explain your absence, suggest another meeting, and close with good wishes. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and links such as “Unfortunately,” “But,” and “Thanks for your invitation” guide the reader through the letter. The progression is easy to follow, though some linking is a little mechanical: “I hope to meet Chris on coming Sunday” repeats the earlier plan, and the final paragraph repeats your apology. You could make the ending more concise and use a smoother transition into the alternative arrangement. Overall, the organisation is clear and cohesive, with some repetition and slightly formulaic linking limiting the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for this familiar social letter, and phrases such as “important work commitments,” “reschedule,” and “convenient” communicate the key details. The tone is generally friendly and polite. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “inviting me for” a party, “celebrating his party,” and “during evening time.” “Surprise birthday party” is also repeated several times, so a little more variation would improve flexibility. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they show that control of natural phrasing is not yet consistent. Aim to learn common collocations for invitations, celebrations, and making plans, rather than relying on direct translations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including the reason clause in “as I have some important work commitments” and the conditional question “Please let me know if Sunday will be convenient for him too.” Most meaning remains clear, and the response includes several correctly formed sentences. Some grammatical errors persist, however: “Chris surprise” needs a possessive form, “on next Sunday” uses an unnecessary preposition, and “I was thinking we will go” has an awkward tense sequence. “Chris favorite restaurant” also needs a possessive marker. These are generally easy to understand, but checking possessives, prepositions in time expressions, and tense consistency would improve accuracy while preserving your sentence variety.

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

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