Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-01
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 6.0)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
Thank you for inviting me for Chris birthday party on 12th December.I hope you are doing well. I think he will love the party. He will be very happy to meet his family and friends. As he was telling me that he miss his family while living alone in Delhi. Moreover, The party is also his favorite resort. This resort has so many great memory when we were child. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend it.
I have a business trip on that week. I will be in London for first two weeks in December. It is really importat meeting as one of our biggest client closing a deal with the company.
However, I already inform Chris about it. I will see him in January first week. We have planed to go for a movie . I would also like to take him for a dinner in his favorite Italian restaurant.
I look forward to receiving all the detail about the party and hope he enjoy his birthday party.
your faithfully,
Manisha
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You address all three points: you explain that Chris misses his family and would enjoy seeing relatives and friends, give your business trip as the reason you cannot attend, and suggest meeting in January for a film and dinner. These details make the letter relevant and personal. The explanation of the party’s appeal is somewhat uneven, however: “his favorite resort” and the memories from childhood are mentioned but not clearly connected to the surprise or developed. The alternative plan is more specific, though “January first week” could be made clearer by proposing a particular day or confirming that Chris is available. A little more development of the party idea and a clearer arrangement would make the response more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter has a clear progression: you respond to the invitation, explain why Chris may enjoy the event, give your reason for declining, and then offer an alternative plan. Paragraphing supports these shifts, and linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “However” help signal relationships between ideas. The sequence is easy to follow overall, although the connection between the resort and the childhood memories is not fully clear, and “However” does not express a strong contrast after the business-trip explanation. Some transitions feel slightly mechanical. You could improve flow by linking ideas more directly—for example, explain how the resort’s shared memories make it a meaningful place for Chris—and use a simple transition such as “Instead” before proposing your January plans.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, including “business trip,” “closing a deal,” and “favorite Italian restaurant.” These choices suit the letter and help convey specific details. However, several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce naturalness: “Chris birthday party,” “his favorite resort,” “great memory,” and “all the detail” are not expressed idiomatically, while “importat” and “planed” are misspelled. The meaning is generally recoverable, but these errors make parts of the letter less fluent. Build accuracy with common phrases such as “Chris’s birthday party,” “fond memories,” and “details about the party,” and proofread spelling before submitting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You use both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “I think he will love the party” and “as one of our biggest client closing a deal with the company.” The main message remains understandable, but some errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction persist. For example, “he miss his family” needs subject–verb agreement, and “As he was telling me…” is an incomplete dependent clause as written. “I already inform Chris” and “hope he enjoy” also need corrected verb forms. There are some accurate sentences, but greater control of these patterns is needed. Practise complete sentences with subordinate clauses and check tense and agreement, especially when describing past conversations and future plans.
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