IELTS General Training Task 1: A Band 7.0 Letter (Going-Away Party Invitation), Graded
An informal letter inviting a friend to a send-off party — graded band-by-band by Cuepen's AI examiner. Full coverage and clear organization, held to Band 7.0 by a register that keeps slipping formal.
Question:
You are organizing a small celebration for a friend who is leaving your city to start a new job abroad. Write a letter to another mutual friend. In your letter:
- explain the reason for the celebration
- give details of when, where and what time it will take place
- say why it is important that they attend
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear ...,
Candidate's answer:
Dear Jane,
I hope you are doing well. I want to start off by congratulating you regarding your recent promotion. I also want to invite you to a going-away party that I am organizing for our friend, Priya. Priya secured a job in London at a Fortune 100 company and is planning to move in a couple of weeks.
As her closest friend, I planned this surprise event to give her a memorable send-off. Since she is leaving on the 31st of May, the event is planned on 30th May, which is also a Saturday. For everyone’s convenience, I am organizing the event at my home itself which is at the centre of the city, near the White House. Although the event begins at 7:00 PM, I request you to arrive early so that we can catch-up for a longer period.
This particular meeting is the first one after our recent graduation. Many of our batchmates including a few of our alumni will be attending. I am eagerly waiting to meet you and looking forward to your RSVP.
Regards,
Maya
Full Cuepen report:
This is the complete assessment, exactly as the model returned it. Click a criterion card to filter the line-by-line view, or any flagged sentence for its feedback.
Candidate's Answer
Task Achievement feedback (3)
I want to start off by congratulating you regarding your recent promotion.
💡The opening congratulates Jane on a promotion the task never mentions; an informal invitation can open more directly with the news.
It's been ages — I'm writing because I'm throwing a going-away party for our friend Priya.
Although the event begins at 7:00 PM, I request you to arrive early so that we can catch-up for a longer period.
💡'I request you to arrive early' is too formal for an informal letter to a close friend.
Although it starts at 7:00 PM, do try to come a bit earlier so we can chat properly.
Regards, Maya
💡'Regards' is a semi-formal sign-off; an informal letter to a friend needs a warmer close.
Lots of love, Maya
The fastest route to Band 8
- Keep one register: for a close friend, swap "I request you to", "This particular meeting" and "Regards" for warm, informal wording.
- Open with the actual news — the off-topic congratulation on Jane’s promotion delays the invitation the task asks for.
- Fix the small grammar slips: "planned on" → "planned for", "catch-up" → "catch up", and add commas around "including a few of our alumni".
Frequently asked questions
What band is this IELTS invitation letter?+
It scores an overall Band 7.0 — Task Achievement, Coherence, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range each at Band 7.
Why does a clear, complete letter only get Band 7?+
The register keeps slipping from informal to semi-formal ('I request you to', 'This particular meeting', 'Regards'), which is a Task Achievement weakness in a letter to a close friend.
Does Cuepen grade General Training letters?+
Yes — Cuepen's AI examiner scores GT Task 1, Academic Task 1 and Task 2 against all four IELTS criteria with line-by-line feedback.
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