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)

Hello Uncle,

I hope you are in the pink of health.

I am very much delighted and happy to hear that you have arranged a surpise party for chris birthday and am pretty sure he will love and enjoy the suprise party.

It is so unfortunate that I will not be attending this party as In the moring I have a exam on that day and later on have an appointment with my dentist, after waiting for many days I finally received the appointment from the doctor and I do not want to miss it .I will be having a very hectic schedule on that day. So please accept my humble apologies as It will not be possible for me to attend the event and convey my wishes to chris.

Moreover, I will be visiting next week and will meet chris and will arrange a dinner party for you all so that we can spend a evening and celebrate his birthday again belated.

I hope you understand my situation.

Thank you

Warm wishes

Sarfaraz

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you explain that Chris will enjoy the surprise, give two reasons you cannot attend, and propose meeting the following week. The apology and offer to arrange dinner also suit the purpose of a personal letter. However, the explanation of why Chris will enjoy the party is brief, and the alternative plan is not fully specific: “I will be visiting next week” does not say when or where you will meet, and “celebrate his birthday again belated” is unclear. Develop these points with a little more detail, such as suggesting a particular day and explaining what Chris enjoys about celebrations. Also, the task specifies “Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,” so use that opening rather than “Hello Uncle” to address the intended recipients appropriately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: you respond to the invitation, explain your absence, suggest another time to meet, and close politely. Paragraphing helps separate the main ideas, and expressions such as “Moreover” and “I hope you understand my situation” guide the reader. Some linking is mechanical or awkward, however. “Moreover” does not clearly introduce a contrast or a new related point after your apology, while the long sentence beginning “It is so unfortunate” combines several reasons and the apology without clear punctuation. The final plan would also be easier to follow if it were stated in a separate, direct sentence. Use simpler transitions and clearer sentence boundaries to make the progression more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of expressions for a personal letter, including “in the pink of health,” “humble apologies,” and “hectic schedule.” These show an attempt to vary your vocabulary, and your meaning is generally clear. Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural in context: “surpise” and “suprise” are misspelled, “for Chris birthday” needs a possessive form, and “celebrate his birthday again belated” is not a natural phrase. “Appointment from the doctor” is also less idiomatic than “appointment with the dentist.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations rather than adding formal expressions that do not quite fit the situation. Consistent capitalisation of Chris’s name will also improve presentation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, particularly when explaining your schedule and making the alternative plan. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors occur across the letter. For example, “I have a exam” needs the correct article, and “I will be visiting next week and will meet Chris and will arrange” repeats the same future structure awkwardly. The sentence beginning “It is so unfortunate” also needs clearer clause structure and punctuation; the full stop before “I will be having” is missing a space, and the capitalisation after “as” is incorrect. Practise articles, possessives, parallel phrasing, and breaking long sentences into controlled clauses.

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