Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01

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 Luis,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to request you include my favorite dish we made in the village.

I offer to make a popular dish from my conutry also. India is a secular country. Many people are living here they belong to different religions. Therefore they have different culture and tradition. I think I must include my favorite dishes in the event. Because it repesent ourself.

The dish name is Rice Pudding which we make this in our any function or even any guest arriving. Because it is sugary and savoury. As I belong to sikh family, we make it for Gurupurab. It is very special for us.

It must be included in the event because I think most of the people they do not know about this dish. In this way then learn about punjabi's culture and traditions. We make it in every function or celebration inculding if someone arrives in the birthday party or any winnig team.

I hope will consider it. Thank you for your time.

Yours Lovingly,

Rajandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully covered all parts of the prompt by offering to make a dish, describing it as Rice Pudding, and explaining why it should be included. However, some areas are more fully developed than others, which is typical of this level. For instance, while you mentioned that India is a secular country with diverse cultures, the explanation about the dish could have been expanded with more precise details about its ingredients and preparation. The ideas are generally relevant, but sentences like 'Because it repesent ourself' lack sufficient extension and clarity. To move further, ensure every main point is thoroughly explored with relevant supporting details rather than brief, disconnected statements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

Your letter has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a recognisable structure for a personal request. You attempted to organise your ideas into logical paragraphs, separating your introduction, the description of the dish, and the reasons for inclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical, with repetitive transitions such as 'Because it is sugary' starting new sentences. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'we make this in our any function' where the pronouns and connectors do not flow smoothly. To improve, you need to use a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices and ensure smoother transitions between sentences to create a clearer overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You demonstrated an adequate vocabulary range for the task and made clear attempts to use less common items, such as 'secular', 'tradition', and 'celebration'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form throughout the letter. Examples include spelling mistakes like 'conutry' and 'winnig', incorrect word forms like 'repesent ourself', and awkward collocations such as 'inculding if someone arrives in the birthday party'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict your score. To reach a higher band, you should expand your control of less common lexical items, ensure correct word forms, and pay closer attention to spelling and natural phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You produced a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to join clauses using words like 'because', 'while', and 'as'. However, there are some errors in grammar and punctuation that occur across the text. You had trouble with article usage and prepositions in patterns, such as 'request you include' instead of 'request that you include', and verb tense consistency, such as 'which we make this'. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they show inconsistent control over complex structures. To improve, focus on mastering sentence construction, accurate verb forms, and the correct application of grammatical rules without frequent lapses.

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

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