Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-21

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 am writing to offer my help with the international food event. I would be delighted to prepare a popular Indian dish called butter chicken.

Butter chicken is a famous North Indian dish made with tender pieces of chicken cooked in a rich, creamy tomato-based sauce. It is usually prepared with butter, cream and a variety of spices, such as garam masala. It is commonly served with naan or rice. The dish has a delicious combination of creamy, slightly spicy and mildly sweet flavors.

I believe butter chicken would be an excellent addition to the event because it is one of the most popular Indian dishes and is enjoyed by people around the world. It would also give students an opportunity to experience the flavors and food culture of India. I would be happy to prepare enough food for everyone to taste.

Please let me know if you would like me to bring this dish to the event.

Best wishes,

Daksh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly offer to prepare butter chicken, provide a descriptive explanation of the dish, and justify its inclusion in the event by highlighting its global popularity and cultural value. The tone is appropriate for a letter to an event organiser, maintaining a helpful and enthusiastic stance throughout. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the opening sentence. You have successfully met all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose: the introduction states the purpose, the second paragraph describes the dish, and the third explains the rationale for its inclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'It is usually prepared with', 'The dish has', and 'I believe' are used effectively to link sentences. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the flow of information is smooth, making the letter easy to follow from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for the context. Phrases such as 'tender pieces of chicken', 'rich, creamy tomato-based sauce', and 'food culture' are used accurately and naturally. The vocabulary is precise and fits the descriptive nature of the task well. While the range is sufficient and effective, it stays within a standard register. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate slightly more sophisticated or varied descriptive adjectives to further enhance the appeal of the dish.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

The grammar is highly accurate throughout the response. You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively, such as the relative clause in '...dish made with tender pieces of chicken cooked in a rich, creamy tomato-based sauce.' Punctuation is used correctly, and there are no noticeable errors in subject-verb agreement or tense usage. The writing is clear and error-free, demonstrating a strong command of English grammar suitable for this type of correspondence.

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

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