Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-05

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 8.0)

Dear Luis,

I hope you are doing well. I was excited to hear that our International Students' Club is organizing a food festival to celebrate dishes from around the world. I would like to contribute by preparing butter chicken, one of India's most popular dishes.

Butter chicken is made with tender pieces of chicken cooked in a rich tomato-based sauce with butter, cream, and a blend of traditional Indian spices. It is usually served with rice or naan bread. Although it has a mild level of spice, it is full of flavor and is enjoyed by people of all ages.

I believe this dish would be a great addition to the event because it represents Indian culture and is loved by people worldwide. Many international students may have heard of butter chicken but never had the chance to taste an authentic homemade version. It would give everyone an opportunity to experience a traditional Indian meal and learn more about our culture through food.

Please let me know if I should bring anything else or if there are any special arrangements I need to make. I am looking forward to the event and hope everyone enjoys the dish.

Best wishes,

Gurinder

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly offer to make butter chicken, provide a descriptive explanation of the dish, and justify its inclusion in the event by highlighting its cultural significance and appeal. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an event organizer, maintaining a polite and helpful register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, showing a clear understanding of the task requirements. The letter flows logically from the initial offer to the specific details and finally to the closing inquiry, meeting all the criteria for a high-band response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is well-organized with a clear structure. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving logically from the introduction to the description of the dish, the justification for its inclusion, and finally the closing. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'because', and 'It would give' are used effectively to link ideas within and between sentences. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall flow of the letter is natural and coherent, which is characteristic of a high-level response.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary that is appropriate for the context of a food festival. Phrases like 'rich tomato-based sauce', 'blend of traditional Indian spices', and 'authentic homemade version' show a good command of descriptive language. The vocabulary is precise and used accurately to convey your message. While the range is sufficient and effective, it could be pushed further toward more sophisticated or idiomatic expressions to reach the highest band, but for this task, the lexical control is very strong and contributes to clear communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The writing is highly accurate with a variety of sentence structures. You successfully use complex sentences, such as 'Although it has a mild level of spice, it is full of flavor and is enjoyed by people of all ages.' Punctuation is used correctly, and there are no noticeable grammatical errors. The control over verb tenses and subject-verb agreement is consistent throughout the text. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the overall grammatical quality is excellent, supporting clear and effective communication.

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

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