Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-10

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 5.5)

Dear Luis,

I hope you'r doing well. I heard that, International Students' club organising an event to celebrate famous food from all over the world.

I want discuss about our popular dish which is very famous in India that is Chole Bhature. The taste of that food is extremely good. Last year, i organised a party at my home, everyone liked food alot.

In this event, i think this will a great idea if we add that dish because this is not that much heavy as well oily. This dish is very popular in my country.

Please reach me out any time because i need some suggestions for the arrangement.

Your faithfully,

SAM

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the main purpose by offering Chole Bhature, identifying it as a popular Indian dish, and giving a reason for including it: “This dish is very popular in my country.” However, the description is very brief, and the claim that it is “not that much heavy as well oily” is unclear and does not explain what the dish consists of. The personal example about your party gives some support, but it could be developed with details about guests’ reactions or the dish’s cultural significance. The response also contains only 113 words, below the required 150, so the task is only partially developed. Add a fuller description and a more specific case for its inclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally understandable order: you introduce the event, offer a dish, give a reason, and close by inviting contact. The short paragraphs help separate these points. However, progression is limited because the description and justification are each compressed into a few sentences, and links such as “because” and “this” do not always make the relationship between ideas clear. For example, “this will a great idea if we add that dish because this is not that much heavy as well oily” is difficult to follow. Use clearer transitions and refer to the dish consistently, then give each required point its own developed paragraph. This would make the organisation more coherent and the connections less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “popular dish,” “event,” “arrangement,” and the name “Chole Bhature,” so the reader can identify your subject. The range is nevertheless limited, and several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “discuss about,” “reach me out,” and “liked food alot.” “Famous food” is also less precise than a phrase describing a traditional or well-known national dish. These choices do not prevent the main message from being understood, but they make the letter sound less natural and sometimes obscure your meaning. Build a wider set of food-related expressions and check common collocations, especially when explaining ingredients, flavour, and why guests might enjoy the dish.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies mainly on short, simple sentences, with a few attempts to connect ideas using “because” and “if.” Several grammatical errors are noticeable and sometimes make sentences difficult to interpret. For example, “I want discuss” is missing “to,” “I think this will a great idea” lacks the verb “be,” and “I heard that, International Students' club organising” has an incomplete verb phrase and unnecessary punctuation. There are also errors in “everyone liked food” and “Your faithfully.” Practise complete verb phrases, articles, and sentence boundaries, and proofread for capitalisation and punctuation. More accurate control of these basics, alongside a few well-formed complex sentences, would improve clarity.

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

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