Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-12

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 6.0)

Dear Luis,

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

Butter chicken is a very famous Indian dish made with chicken, tomato, butter, cream and different spices. It has a rich and creamy taste, and it is usually served with rice or butter naan bread. I can prepare enough food for the students and explain the ingredients and cooking process to them.

I believe this dish should be included in the event because it is one of the most popular Indian dishes and is enjoyed by people from different countries. It will also give students a chance to learn about Indian food or traditional food.

Please let me know if you would like me to prepare the dish.

Kind regards,

Max

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

Max has successfully covered all bullet points outlined in the prompt. He offers to make a popular Indian dish called butter chicken, describes the dish thoroughly detailing its ingredients and taste profile, and explains why it deserves inclusion due to its widespread popularity and cultural appeal. The tone and purpose of the letter are appropriate for communicating with an event organiser named Luis. However, a significant penalty must be applied to this criterion because the response falls below the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, containing only 138 words in total. This under-length issue prevents the ideas from being fully developed and extended to meet higher band descriptors. Consequently, a band score of 5.5 is awarded.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter exhibits a clear overall structure with appropriate paragraphing. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving smoothly from the opening statement and offer, through the description of the dish and justification, to a polite sign-off. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as transitional phrases like 'It has a rich and creamy taste' and 'I believe this dish should be included'. Referencing is clear and logical throughout the text. While the paragraphing and sequencing are good, the limited overall length restricts the opportunity to demonstrate a wider range of cohesive devices. Nevertheless, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, making this a solid performance for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a general task of this nature. Phrases like 'rich and creamy taste', 'cooking process', and 'popular Indian dishes' convey the intended meaning effectively. There are also attempts at less common and specific lexical items relevant to food, such as 'ingredients', 'spices', and 'butter naan bread'. Spelling and word choices are accurate throughout the text. However, the vocabulary remains somewhat standard and descriptive rather than ambitious, lacking the sophisticated or precise lexical flexibility required for higher bands. Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows clear communication without any noticeable errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

Max demonstrates a good control of basic and moderately complex sentence structures. Sentences such as 'I am writing to offer my help with the international food event' and 'I can prepare enough food for the students and explain the ingredients and cooking process to them' are grammatically sound and error-free. The response features a successful mix of simple and compound sentences, with accurate use of verb tenses, articles, and punctuation. Although there is a lack of highly complex grammatical structures such as conditionals or advanced subordinate clauses, the sentences produced are largely accurate and do not impede communication at all. This merits a reliable score for accuracy.

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

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