Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,

I hope you both are doing well.Thank you so much for inviting me for chris birthday party.I am sure chris will definfately love this surprise ,as he is not expecting it all.

I know chris will love this surprise party as he may not expect this surprise.Chris always appreicted the love efforts and surprises ,especially from family and friends.

Due to family unforseen cirmcumstance occured,one of my family members has been disgnosed with severe medical conditions,which required my attention and supportTherefore,I reg would not be able to join for chris birthday party

Fortunately,next month I am planning to come to Australia for business meeting and I will definately try to come to your residence .Either we will plan dinner at home or go outside.I am so thrilled to meet you all.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon all.

Yours Sincerely,

Sukhdeep Kaur.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you explain that Chris enjoys surprises and appreciates efforts from family and friends, give a family medical reason for not attending, and suggest meeting during your business trip next month. The reason for absence is relevant, though the wording is difficult to follow, and the alternative plan is only partly developed: you mention visiting their home or going out for dinner but do not suggest a specific date or confirm how you will arrange it. The response is also one word below the required minimum. Add a little detail about why the surprise would be especially meaningful to Chris and make the proposed meeting more definite.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter follows a broadly sensible order: greeting and thanks, comments about the party, an explanation for your absence, and a future meeting plan. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these points. However, the first two paragraphs repeat the same idea that Chris will enjoy the surprise, so the progression feels less efficient. Some links between ideas are also unclear, particularly around “Therefore” and “Fortunately,” where punctuation and sentence boundaries are missing. Organise the party explanation into one concise paragraph, then use clear transitions to move from the reason you cannot attend to the alternative plan. This would make the overall progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “surprise party,” “family members,” “severe medical conditions,” and “business meeting.” These choices communicate the main ideas, but several spelling errors and awkward expressions reduce precision, such as “definfately,” “apprecieted,” and “family unforseen cirmcumstance.” The repeated use of “surprise” also limits variety. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations: for example, say that Chris “would be delighted by the surprise” and that a relative “has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition.” Proofreading these forms and varying repeated words would make the letter clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “Due to…” and the future plan introduced by “next month.” The main message is generally recoverable, but some sentence structures and punctuation are faulty. For example, “Due to family unforeseen circumstance occurred” does not form a complete, grammatical clause, and “supportTherefore” runs two ideas together without a sentence boundary. There are also problems with articles and possessives in phrases such as “for chris birthday party.” Use complete clauses, check sentence boundaries, and review possessive forms: “Chris’s birthday party.” These corrections would improve control while preserving your useful range of sentence types.

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