Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You are a member of an International Students' club. The club is organising an event to celebrate popular food from around the world.

Write a letter to the event organiser, Luis. In your letter

• offer to make a popular dish from your country
• describe what this dish is
• explain why it should be included in the event

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Luis,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Luis,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to you to express my willingness to participate in the upcoming event to celebrate popular food from around the world. I realised the international students's club has very little representation from my home country Pakistan. It would be an honour for me bring my family's generational recipe to the table.

The dish I'm thinking to recreate is something my Nana used to make when i was very young. I have a deep emotional connection with this one specific dish, it's pure nostalgia. It is a rice dish that is slowly cooked with meat broth. It is full of flavour, simple yet very scrumptious. I am very confident everyone will be left licking their fingers. It is called 'pulao' which has many variations but this specific one recipe has been passed down many generations and is why very unique and something everyone will enjoy. I also got a chance to review the menu and it was lacking some savoury dishes, it was more inclined towards sweeter side. Incorporating my dish in my opinion will give the menu a balance and variety.

I would be very grateful if i would be given this opportunity. I will be eagerly waiting for your response.

Your sincerely,

Mahnoor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points clearly: you offer to prepare a dish, identify it as pulao, describe it as rice cooked with meat broth, and explain that it would add a savoury option and balance the menu. The personal link to your Nana and the family recipe gives the offer a clear purpose, while the menu observation supports your reason for including it. The description could be more specific—for example, you could mention the meat or spices used—so readers can picture the dish more fully. The claim that “everyone will enjoy” it is also quite general. Overall, the task is fully addressed with relevant supporting ideas, though some details could be developed more precisely. (Nine words copied from the task prompt were not counted.)

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a sensible progression: you introduce your offer, describe the dish and its personal significance, explain its place on the menu, and close politely. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and links such as “It is called ‘pulao’” and “Incorporating my dish” guide the reader through your points. This clear overall arrangement meets the lower-band expectations, while the personal story and menu rationale also show some flexibility in connecting ideas. However, the long middle paragraph combines several points, and the sentence beginning “It is called ‘pulao’” carries too many ideas at once. Divide it and use clearer links between the recipe’s history, its appeal, and the menu’s needs.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for a friendly letter, including expressive choices such as “deep emotional connection,” “pure nostalgia,” “scrumptious,” and “savoury.” These help convey enthusiasm and make the dish sound appealing. There are also some less natural or imprecise combinations: “recreate” is not the clearest choice for preparing a dish, and “this specific one recipe” is awkward. “Licking their fingers” is vivid but informal, while “generational recipe” does not express the family tradition naturally. These choices do not prevent understanding, but more accurate collocations and a slightly more consistent register would make the description more fluent and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including the relative clause in “which has many variations” and the reason clause “which is why…”. The message remains understandable, but several errors in sentence construction and control keep the grammar from being consistently accurate. For example, “It is called ‘pulao’ which has many variations but this specific one recipe…” joins several clauses without effective punctuation, and “I would be very grateful if I would be given this opportunity” uses an unsuitable verb form after “if.” There are also errors in “for me bring” and “I was very young” after the lowercase “i” issue is set aside as spelling. Check verb patterns, clause boundaries, and sentence punctuation when editing.

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

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