Band 9.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 9.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-12

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 9.0)

Dear Luis,

I am writing to express my excitement about the upcoming International Students' Club food festival! It sounds like a fantastic opportunity to bring everyone together, and I would love to contribute by cooking a popular dish from my home country, India: Chicken Biryani.

For those who haven’t tried it before, Biryani is a classic, fragrant rice dish layered with tender, spiced chicken, caramelized onions, fresh mint, cilantro, and aromatic spices like cardamom, cloves, and saffron. It is cooked slowly in a sealed pot, allowing all the rich flavors and aromas to infuse deeply into every grain of basmati rice.

I believe Biryani would be a wonderful addition to the event for a few reasons. First, it is one of the most iconic and beloved crowd-pleasers in Indian cuisine, offering a rich cultural taste experience that many students always look forward to. Second, it is a complete, satisfying meal that is easy to prepare in large batches and simple to serve in individual portions.

Please let me know if this works with the menu line-up or if there are any specific guidelines regarding food preparation and dietary labeling. I’m eager to help make the event a big success!

Yours Truly,

Ramanjot Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 9.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly offer to make Chicken Biryani, provide a vivid description of the dish, and explain its suitability for the event. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an event organiser, maintaining a professional yet enthusiastic register throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, showing a clear understanding of the task requirements. You have successfully covered all aspects of the prompt with sufficient detail to make the letter engaging and informative.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 9.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving smoothly from the introduction to the description, the justification, and finally the closing. Cohesive devices such as 'For those who haven’t tried it before', 'I believe', and 'First/Second' are used naturally to guide the reader through the text. The paragraphing is skilful and appropriate for a formal letter, ensuring that the information is easy to follow and well-structured.

Lexical Resource — Band 9.0

You demonstrate a wide and precise range of vocabulary. The use of descriptive adjectives such as 'fragrant', 'tender', 'caramelized', and 'aromatic' effectively conveys the nature of the dish. You also use collocations like 'menu line-up' and 'cultural taste experience' with natural control. The vocabulary is not only accurate but also sophisticated, contributing to a high level of fluency. There are no errors in word choice or spelling, and the language used is highly appropriate for the context of an international student event.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 9.0

The response exhibits a wide range of grammatical structures with full flexibility and accuracy. You effectively use complex sentences, such as 'It is cooked slowly in a sealed pot, allowing all the rich flavors and aromas to infuse deeply into every grain of basmati rice.' Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and there are no grammatical errors. The control over verb tenses and sentence construction is excellent, making the text very easy to read and professional in its presentation.

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

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