Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am reaching out to express my pleasure to introduce a famous dish from my country in the up coming event, that is going to be organized by International Student's club.

I am an enthusiastic member of this club. I have participated in the various activities of the club.

This time I am considering to introduce a well known dish from my country, that is the ' Chicken Biryani' . I believe this is a great opportunity to introduce this representable and lucious food. It is not only mouth watering, but very colourful in appearance and appetizing in its unique aroma. It is one of the best dishes in my country. In addition, this is increasingly becoming popular in many western countries.

Furthermore, I am recommending this dish to this festival to show my country's traditional food.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Sobia.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. First, the writer offers to make a dish by stating, 'This time I am considering to introduce a well known dish from my country, that is the ' Chicken Biryani''. Second, the dish is described using sensory details such as 'colourful in appearance and appetizing in its unique aroma'. Third, the explanation for why it should be included is provided through reasons like its growing global popularity and how it showcases traditional food. However, there is a minor error in the salutation, as the prompt specifies writing to 'Luis', but the student began with 'Dear Sir', which affects the register and appropriateness of the opening. Despite this slight slip, all core parts of the task are covered with relevant ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is generally coherent and follows a logical overall progression from introducing the purpose of the letter to describing the dish and giving reasons for its inclusion. Paragraphing is attempted, though the formatting contains several abrupt line breaks and short, choppy paragraphs that disrupt the natural flow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition' and 'Furthermore', but they can sometimes feel mechanical or slightly repetitive in a personal letter context. Additionally, referencing is occasionally hindered by the awkward salutation mismatch. Overall, the ideas are discernible and transition from point to point, fitting the requirements for a Band 6.0 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting some less common and descriptive lexical items such as 'enthusiastic', 'lucious' (spelled 'lucious' instead of luscious), 'mouth watering', and 'appetizing'. While there are a few word choice and spelling inaccuracies, such as 'up coming' instead of upcoming and 'lucious' for luscious, these errors do not impede communication. The writer successfully conveys precise imagery regarding the food item. The lexical range is sufficient to meet the communicative demands of the prompt adequately, aligning well with the Band 6.0 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. Examples of complex structures include relative clauses, such as 'a famous dish from my country in the up coming event, that is going to be organized by International Student's club.' However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, such as 'considering to introduce' instead of 'considering introducing', and missing articles like 'in the up coming event'. Punctuation is also slightly flawed with erratic spacing around commas. Although errors are present, they rarely impede overall communication, placing the grammatical performance firmly at a Band 6.0 level.

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

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