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 enthusiasm for the upcoming international food celebration our club is organizing, and I would like to volunteer to prepare a dish for the occasion.

I would love to contribute by making Paneer Tikka, a very popular and traditional dish from my home country. It consists of large, thick cubes of paneer a type of fresh, firm cheese—marinated in yogurt and a vibrant blend of spices. The marinated cheese is then baked or grilled on skewers until it develops a beautifully smoky and charred exterior, usually served alongside a fresh mint chutney.

I believe this would be an excellent inclusion for our event for a couple of reasons. First, it is a fantastic, high-protein vegetarian option, ensuring that members with different dietary needs have a hearty and satisfying choice available. Additionally, because it can be served on small skewers, it is the perfect finger food for a busy, mingling crowd wanting to sample various global cuisines easily without needing full plates or cutlery.

Please let me know if you would like me to add this to the official menu, and I can begin gathering the ingredients.

Warm regards,

Prachi

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 a dish, provide a vivid description of Paneer Tikka, and offer logical, well-developed reasons for its inclusion, such as its suitability for dietary requirements and its convenience as finger food. The tone is consistently appropriate for a letter to an event organiser, maintaining a professional yet enthusiastic register throughout. All requirements of the prompt are met with sufficient detail and clarity, demonstrating a strong understanding of the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 9.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a single aspect of the prompt, ensuring a smooth progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'First', and 'because' are used effectively to link sentences and ideas. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall readability of the text. There is no evidence of mechanical or repetitive use of linking words; the flow is natural and professional.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.5

You demonstrate a wide and precise range of vocabulary. Phrases such as 'vibrant blend of spices', 'smoky and charred exterior', and 'hearty and satisfying choice' show a sophisticated command of language. The use of specific culinary terms like 'marinated' and 'chutney' is accurate and adds depth to your description. The vocabulary is not only accurate but also stylistically appropriate for the context of an international food event. There are no errors in word choice or collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

The writing exhibits a wide range of grammatical structures with high accuracy. You successfully use complex sentences, such as the participial phrase 'ensuring that members with different dietary needs have a hearty and satisfying choice available' and the conditional structure 'if you would like me to add this...'. Punctuation is used correctly to manage the flow of information, including the effective use of em-dashes for parenthetical information. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the control over tense and agreement is excellent.

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