Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-27

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 6.5)

Dear Luis,

I am Neethu Simon, and am a member of ABC International student club. I am writing regarding the upcoming International food fest as a part of the "International Food Day".

I would like to prepare a dish which represent my country, India. The dish is called Biriyani, which is super popular in our country. It has got a lot of versions across India. But, I am planning to make the one which is popular in my town.

The dish basically made with basmati rice, a special rice use for making the dish and chicken, meat or fish. It can also be prepared with vegetables. I am thinking of making a chicken biriyani. It is very scrumptious, a little bit spicy and has a strong aroma of spices and ghee. Not to mention its flavour.

This dish is a very beloved dish in our country. I want to bring this taste because of its authenticity. Biriyani has got a strong history of its own. This dish was considered as a food of riches dating back to 60's. So, I thought of preparing this for the special occassion so that everyone can feel the taste of India.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Hopefully,

Neethu Simon

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three points clearly: you offer to prepare biriyani, describe its ingredients and flavour, and explain its cultural value. The specific choice of chicken biriyani and the detail that it is associated with your town make the offer personal, while the reference to its history and authenticity supports its inclusion. The purpose and tone are appropriate for a letter to an organiser. To make the explanation more fully developed, connect the dish’s appeal more directly to the event—for example, explain how its regional variations or distinctive spices would introduce guests to India’s food culture. The historical point about it being food for the wealthy is interesting, but could be clarified or linked more explicitly to why attendees would enjoy learning about it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: the opening establishes the purpose, the middle paragraphs introduce and describe the dish, and the final paragraph explains its significance before closing. This gives the reader a coherent progression. You also use linking expressions such as “But,” “Not to mention,” and “So,” although some connections feel abrupt or conversational rather than smoothly integrated. For instance, “Not to mention its flavour” is a fragment, and the shift from the dish’s taste to its history could be more clearly signposted. The closing “Hopefully” is also an unusual sign-off. Use more precise transitions between description and justification, and choose a conventional closing such as “Best wishes” to make the letter’s structure and tone more consistently controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including food-specific terms such as “basmati rice,” “aroma,” “spices,” and “ghee.” Words such as “authenticity” and “versions” help convey cultural significance and regional variety. There are also attempts at more expressive language, including “scrumptious” and “beloved,” but some choices are informal or imprecise for this letter: “super popular” could be more measured, and “strong history of its own” is not a natural collocation. “A special rice use for making the dish” also needs more precise wording. Aim for natural collocations and a consistent semi-formal tone, while retaining the useful food-related vocabulary you already demonstrate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, including the sentence explaining that the dish can be prepared with vegetables and the longer description of its flavour. Meaning remains clear throughout, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “I am Neethu Simon, and am a member” is missing a subject after “and”; “a dish which represent” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “The dish basically made” needs a form of “be.” In “a special rice use for making the dish,” the participle should be “used.” There are also article and punctuation issues, such as “the special occassion” and the comma splice-like flow in “It is very scrumptious, a little bit spicy.” Check agreement, complete verb phrases, and sentence boundaries carefully to improve accuracy.

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

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