Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-03

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 & Mrs Collins,

I hope you are in good health. I just received an invitation for Chris's surprise birthday party on 7th January 2027. Thank you so much for inviting us. I believe that it's a great idea of celebrating his birthday party as a surprise. Stephen told me that Chris is a little stressed these days due to upcoming exams. I believe this surprise birthday party will cheer him up. He'll be relaxed by celebrating his birthday party with his friends.

I want to inform you that unfortunately I won't be able to attend the party as I have to take my mother to Boston for an angioplasty on the same day. My mother is scared of the procedure, so she wants me to be with her. I hope you'll understand my situation. Please say Happy Birthday to Chris from my side. I'm also planning to visit him on 9th January when I'll be back from Boston. I have already bought a gift for him and want to give it to him by myself to see his reaction. I hope Chris will have fun on his surprise birthday.

Hope to see you soon.

Miss you & Chris

Ume Laila

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three points clearly and maintain an appropriate, warm tone for a letter to your friend’s parents. The reason Chris may enjoy the surprise is supported with relevant context: he is stressed about upcoming exams, and celebrating with friends could cheer him up. You also explain your absence specifically and sensitively, and propose a clear alternative visit on 9 January, including the gift. These details make the response purposeful and well supported. To make the ideas even more fully developed, explain briefly how you know Chris would appreciate a surprise, rather than relying mainly on the general claim that it will help him relax. The content is otherwise focused and complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a sensible progression: you acknowledge the invitation, explain why the party should please Chris, give your reason for not attending, and suggest another time to meet. Paragraphing helps separate the main purposes, and links such as “unfortunately” and “so” make the relationships between ideas clear. The organisation is coherent overall, though some connections and references are a little mechanical or repetitive. For example, “I believe” appears twice close together, and “birthday party” is repeated in the same section. The closing also shifts abruptly from “Hope to see you soon” to “Miss you & Chris.” Use a more consistent sign-off and vary or remove repeated transitions to make the progression smoother and more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and communicates the key information clearly, including the specific medical procedure and the emotional reason your mother wants you with her. You also use some suitable expressions, such as “cheer him up” and “scared of the procedure.” However, several phrases are repetitive or not quite natural in this context: “celebrating his birthday party” and “give it to him by myself” could be expressed more idiomatically. “From my side” is also an awkward way to convey birthday wishes. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for more varied, conventional collocations while keeping the friendly tone appropriate to a personal letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and the message remains easy to understand. The reason for your absence is expressed clearly through the clause “as I have to take my mother to Boston,” and you use future forms appropriately when describing your return and planned visit. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain. In “I believe that it's a great idea of celebrating,” the structure after “idea” is not well formed; use “a great idea to celebrate.” The opening “Dear Mr & Mrs Collins,” would be more conventionally punctuated as “Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,” and “Hope to see you soon” omits the subject in a formal sentence. Greater consistency in complete sentence forms and careful editing of these patterns would improve accuracy.

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