Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-02

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 this letter finds you well.

As you may know that , I am the member of an International Students Club and the club is organising an event to celebrate popular food from around the world and I would also be like to part of it which means that I would like to present a popular dish from my nation India.

As you are aware about the Indian food in terms of that we have several dishes which we can present at the event but I would like to add the Panner gravy with the white rice that is the most comfort food of every indians as well as many international people are used to this because many of them they have tried this dish once in their life that is the reason I want to present this dish at the event.

I hope you will be taking care of my emotions because you know that how much this dish means to me as it is the part of my Nation India.

Thank you and I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Hardi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by offering to make a dish, describing it, and explaining why it should be included. Note that 14 words copied from the task prompt were not counted towards the minimum length. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed, which keeps the task response at this level. For instance, the description of the dish as 'Panner gravy with the white rice' is very basic, and the explanation of why it should be included relies heavily on personal emotion ('how much this dish means to me') rather than broader event appeal. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to extend these points by providing more specific details about the dish's ingredients, preparation, and culinary significance for the international audience.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic logical flow and the letter opens and closes appropriately, but the overall organisation lacks clear progression. Sentences tend to run together into long, convoluted blocks without sufficient control of referencing and punctuation. For example, the second paragraph consists of one extremely long sentence featuring excessive coordination ('and... and... which means that... but... that is... as well as... because... that is the reason'). Cohesive devices are handled rather mechanically, and referencing pronouns like 'that' are frequently overused or unclear. Paragraphing is also disrupted by the overly long middle sections. To improve, the writer should break down complex run-on sentences into shorter, logically linked statements and use a wider variety of precise cohesive ties.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items such as 'international students' club' and 'comfort food'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices that reflect a limited range. Examples include spelling 'paneer' as 'Panner', referring to 'every indians' instead of 'all Indians', and using the unnatural collocation 'popular food from around the world' combined with repetitive phrasing like 'present this dish at the event'. While communication is generally maintained, these inaccuracies and spelling slips restrict the score. To progress, the writer should focus on precise word forms, correct spelling, and natural collocations rather than relying on repetitive vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on basic patterns and long, rambling compound sentences. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to frequent errors that cause some difficulty for the reader. There are notable issues with clause structures, such as 'As you may know that , I am the member...', redundant phrasing ('As you are aware about... in terms of that we have'), and incorrect verb forms like 'would also be like to part of it'. Subject-verb agreement and article usage also show frequent instability. To achieve a higher score, the writer must demonstrate greater control over complex sentence patterns, improve punctuation, and eliminate basic structural errors.

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

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