Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-31

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 Mills,

I was so happy when I got an invitation card from you as regards to Chris's birthday party next weekend. Honestly, it seems like you both know exactly what Chris has been fantasizing about for the past 3 years of our frienship. He so much loves surprises.

Unfortunately, I won't be present on this great event, I got an emergency call from Nigeria. I will be leaving tomorrow to stay 2 weeks inorder to sort out some family issues. I'd wanted to postpone the journey but it's quite necessary.

However, Chris and I already planned to meet by mid next month at Fred's wedding anniversary which will be happening in Paris, I'm sure Chris is yet to tell you about this. Meanwhile, we planned on booking the same flight so that we can have enough time to catch up before getting to Paris.

Best regards,

Michael

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you explain that Chris loves surprises, give a reason for your absence, and propose meeting at Fred’s wedding anniversary in Paris. The explanation that Chris has been “fantasizing about” a surprise and “so much loves surprises” is relevant, while the family emergency gives a clear reason you cannot attend. The alternative plan is also specific, including travelling on the same flight. However, some ideas are less fully developed: the party explanation could say more about why this particular celebration will delight Chris, and the proposed meeting could include a clearer date or arrangement. Also, the prompt specifies “Mr and Mrs Collins,” but the letter addresses “Mr and Mrs Mills,” so check that the greeting matches the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression from acknowledging the invitation, to explaining your absence, and then suggesting another opportunity to meet. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and transitions such as “Unfortunately” and “However” help signal the change in focus. The final paragraph also connects the wedding anniversary with the shared-flight plan, so the reader can follow the proposal. To make the organisation more polished, separate the party explanation and the absence explanation more clearly, and ensure each paragraph develops one main point. Some linking is slightly mechanical, particularly “Meanwhile” before the travel arrangement; a more direct connection would make the relationship between the ideas smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a personal letter, including “emergency call,” “postpone the journey,” “family issues,” and “catch up.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and “fantasizing” adds some variety when describing Chris’s expectations. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural choices that limit precision: “as regards to” is awkward in this context, “on this great event” is not the natural collocation, and “inorder” is misspelled. “Invitation card” is understandable but less natural than “invitation.” Aim for accurate, idiomatic phrases rather than adding formality where it does not fit; this will make the letter sound more fluent and appropriately personal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “which will be happening in Paris” and the reason clause “so that we can have enough time to catch up.” The message remains clear despite some grammatical and punctuation errors. For example, “Unfortunately, I won't be present on this great event, I got an emergency call” joins two independent clauses with a comma; use a full stop or a conjunction. “I’d wanted to postpone” is an awkward tense choice for this context, and “planned to meet by mid next month” would be clearer with a more precise time expression. Review sentence boundaries and tense choices, while continuing to use complex structures.

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

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