Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

It's been long time to see you both, I hope you are doing well. Firstly, I would really thankful for your invitation, that means alot.

I am pretty sure that Chris would love your surprise birthday party. As you guys are so close to his heart and he will be very happy and blessed when he will know that everthing is organised by you guys. The plan looks so fascinating as you mentioned there will be music games and dance followed by cake- cutting at the end. It seems to be great fun.

I would like to apologise as I will unable to be the part of lovely moments that day due to an essential international business meeting. I am out of town right now and won't be there by the time of party. Although, I have a great plan in my mind to come and surprise him after this event on 19th novemeber around 4pm. I will join you guys on this day followed by weekend. I hope everybody would be free on that day.

Take care and I will see you soon.

Best Wishes,

Ashlay

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you explain why Chris will enjoy the party, give a reason for your absence, and propose meeting on 19 November at around 4 p.m. The details about music, games, dancing and cake make the party sound appealing, while the business meeting provides a clear explanation. Your plan to visit afterwards is relevant, though “followed by weekend” leaves the timing and arrangement somewhat unclear; specify whether you mean the weekend after the party and suggest a definite activity. Overall, the letter fulfils its purpose and develops the main ideas, but a little more precision in the alternative plan would make the response more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: a friendly opening, a paragraph about the party, an explanation of your absence and proposed visit, and a suitable closing. This organisation makes the message easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “Although,” and “followed by” to connect ideas. However, some connections are not fully clear: “Although” introduces the absence and visit without a contrasting clause, and “I will join you guys on this day followed by weekend” is difficult to interpret. Use transitions that express the intended relationship precisely, and make the proposed date and sequence explicit. The paragraphing and overall flow are effective, with a few awkward links that interrupt smoothness.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a warm, informal letter, including “surprise birthday party,” “essential international business meeting,” and “fascinating.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the tone is generally friendly. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural expressions, such as “close to his heart,” “blessed,” and “be the part of lovely moments”; these do not always convey your intended meaning naturally. Spelling errors such as “alot,” “everthing,” and “novemeber” also reduce accuracy. Aim for familiar, precise collocations rather than more elaborate wording when you are unsure of the phrase. This would make your vocabulary sound more natural and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, for example, “As you guys are so close to his heart and he will be very happy…” and the sentence explaining your business meeting. The message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include “It's been long time to see you both” (missing article and incorrect construction), “I would really thankful” (missing verb), and “I will unable” (missing “be”). The future clause “when he will know” also needs a more appropriate tense pattern. Review articles, auxiliary verbs and tense choices, and break up the longer sentence about the party so its clauses are easier to control. More accurate sentence construction would strengthen the letter.

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

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