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 Rusev,

I am writing in regards of your invite to the surprise birthday celebration you organised for your daughter. I was so delighted to received the invite because my friend would be happy to be celebrated this way.

In all honesty, Chris has been looking forward for his forthcoming birthday. He earlier discussed it with me that he wishes to mark this year birthday with his friends most especially the old ones. I was so happy when I read in your letter that you have invited our primary school mates.

However, I am sorry that I would not be present that day because my company has asked me to go and represent my department for a presentation at our other branch. This is an unavoidable situation for me.

But the goodnews is that my boss promised to give me free two days to rest after the presentation. I plan to spend my free time with Chris. I believe we would have beautiful time together because I will take him to his favourite mall to do some shopping.

I wish my friend an amazing birthday celebration.

Yours faithfully,

Selly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that Chris values celebrating with old friends, give a clear reason for missing the event, and suggest spending time together afterwards. The detail about taking Chris shopping makes the alternative plan concrete. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others. For example, the reason Chris will enjoy the surprise is mainly that he wants to celebrate with friends; you could explain why the surprise itself would appeal to him. The alternative plan is also somewhat vague about when you will meet, since “after the presentation” and “two days” do not identify a specific day or arrangement. Check the required opening and names carefully: the prompt specifies “Mr and Mrs Collins,” but your letter addresses “Mr and Mrs Rusev.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: you acknowledge the invitation, explain Chris’s likely reaction, give your reason for declining, and propose another meeting. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and transitions such as “However” and “But” make the change from regret to an alternative plan easy to follow. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some of the flexibility associated with stronger cohesion. To improve further, make the links between ideas less formulaic and clarify references. For instance, “that day” could be replaced with the party date, and “my free time” could be tied directly to a specific proposed meeting. The closing is appropriate, though a more personal sign-off would better suit a letter to friends’ parents.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the purpose, including phrases such as “forthcoming birthday,” “represent my department,” and “unavoidable situation.” The meaning remains clear throughout, and you attempt some less common expressions. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “in regards of” should be “regarding,” “delighted to received” contains an incorrect form, and “mark this year birthday” is not idiomatic. “Goodnews” should be written as two words, and “beautiful time” would be more naturally expressed as “a lovely time.” Aim to learn common word partnerships as complete phrases and check spelling and word forms. This will make your vocabulary sound more natural without requiring unnecessarily complex wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the subordinate clause in “because my company has asked me…” and the conditional-style explanation beginning “I believe we would…”. Most sentences communicate their meaning, and the errors do not seriously obstruct understanding. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, however. In “I was so delighted to received,” use the infinitive “receive”; “looking forward for” requires “to”; and “this year birthday” needs a possessive form, “this year’s birthday.” The phrase “I will take him to his favourite mall to do some shopping” is structurally clear, but the letter would benefit from more consistently accurate articles and verb forms. Proofread specifically for verb patterns, possessives, and prepositions while retaining your varied sentence structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.