Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-26

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 to make a popular Indian dish for our upcoming international food event.

The dish I would like to prepare is butter chicken, a famous Indian dish made with tender pieces of chicken cooked in a creamy tomato-based sauce. It is usually served with rice or naan bread.

Butter chicken is one of the most popular Indian dishes and is enjoyed by people around the world. It has a rich, delicious flavor, with a mild combination of spices that makes it suitable for many different tastes.

I believe this dish should be included because it represents the colorful and diverse food culture of India. It would also give international students a chance to experience the unique flavors and spices used in Indian cooking.

Another reason to include butter chicken is that it can be served with naan or rice, making it a filling and complete meal. We could also prepare a vegetarian alternative for students who do not eat meat.

I would be delighted to prepare butter chicken for the event and share a taste of Indian culture with everyone.

Best Wishes,

Khushboo

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have fully addressed all parts of the task. You clearly offered to make a dish, provided a descriptive explanation of butter chicken, and gave logical reasons for its inclusion in the event. 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, ensuring the reader understands both the nature of the dish and its cultural significance. You have successfully met all requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the text easy to follow. You have used cohesive devices effectively, such as 'The dish I would like to prepare is...', 'Another reason to include...', and 'I believe this dish should be included because...'. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the transition between the description of the dish and the justification for its inclusion is smooth and natural.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your ideas clearly and accurately. Phrases like 'creamy tomato-based sauce', 'diverse food culture', and 'unique flavors and spices' demonstrate a good command of descriptive language. While the vocabulary is functional and appropriate for the task, incorporating a few more sophisticated or less common collocations could elevate the score further. There are no spelling or word-choice errors, and the language used is natural and fits the context of the letter well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

Your writing displays a good variety of sentence structures, including both simple and complex sentences. The grammar is accurate throughout, with no noticeable errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, or punctuation. You have used complex structures effectively, such as '...made with tender pieces of chicken cooked in a creamy tomato-based sauce' and '...for students who do not eat meat.' The control over grammatical forms is consistent, and the writing is error-free, which demonstrates a high level of proficiency.

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

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