Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

It is ten years since you left college. You'd like to organise an event to celebrate this anniversary with all your friends and classmates from college.

Write a letter to one of your college friends. In your letter

• say what kind of celebration event you'd like to organise

• explain why you think it would be good to celebrate in this way

• describe what help you need to organise this event

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Kiran,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to invite you on my birthday party on October 20 at my home 8 Cityscape gardens, Calgary at 7pm.

I am organising this party not only because of my birthday but also because we all friends have not see each other from long time. I also organised some games like the musical chairs, dance, karoke. I hink this is the best way to spend time with all as i have invited our all college friends.

To oragnise this event, i want you to help me with the menu for dinner and drinks as i am going to take care of all the decorations and setting arrangements. i al also planing to buy some gifts for all our friends. Please let me know if you can help me with organising the birthday party and also let me know if you want to add something else.

Best regards,

Sukhjit

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The letter gives a clear reason for wanting a gathering: friends have not seen one another for a long time, and it mentions games and dinner. However, it changes the task’s central occasion from a ten-year college anniversary to your birthday, so the proposed event does not directly answer what kind of anniversary celebration you want to organise. The explanation of why this format would suit the reunion is brief, and the request for help is limited mainly to choosing the menu. To address the task more fully, keep the focus on the college anniversary, describe the event in that context, and specify practical help such as contacting classmates, arranging a venue, or coordinating food and activities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a generally understandable order: you introduce the invitation, explain the reason for gathering, describe activities, and then ask for help. The closing is also appropriate for a friendly letter. Connections such as “not only…but also” and “as” help link ideas, although some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “I am organising this party not only because of my birthday but also because…” The long middle section combines the reason, activities, and explanation without a clear paragraph break. Separate the event details from the request for assistance, and use clearer transitions so the reader can follow each purpose easily.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for a social event, including “musical chairs,” “decorations,” “dinner and drinks,” and “gifts,” which makes the basic plan understandable. However, the range is fairly limited, and several spelling or word-choice errors reduce accuracy, such as “karoke,” “oragnise,” and “setting arrangements.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “invite you on my birthday party” and “we all friends.” Use more precise event language and check spelling carefully; for example, “invite you to a party,” “our college friends,” and “venue arrangements” would sound more natural. A few varied terms for the anniversary gathering would also help express the plan more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple sentences and some attempts to combine ideas, such as “I am organising this party not only because… but also because…”. Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “we all friends have not see each other from long time” needs a possessive form, a correct verb form, and a more suitable time expression; “I have invited our all college friends” also has an unclear word order. There are errors in articles and prepositions in “invite you on my birthday party” and “at my home 8 Cityscape gardens.” Practise accurate past and present-perfect forms and build longer sentences with reliable clause structure.

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

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