Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-30

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 am writing this letter to you about adding a food in great event which is going to be celebrated by the international students' club in which we are going to celebrate the famous foods all around the world.

As we know this function is to be held in the afternoon so there are varities of foods such as bread and vegetables, mushroom soup etc are famous in my country.I want to offer a food which is called 'Biryani'.

Basically, this dish is mixture of lentil-rice and meat with handful of Indian spices with local vibes.

I would like to explain why this must be included in the event as thre are many students from around the world who love to eat this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the main purpose by offering biryani, describing its ingredients, and giving a reason for including it: “many students from around the world…love to eat this.” However, the explanation of the dish and its appeal is brief, and the reason is general rather than supported with detail. The opening spends space repeating the event context instead of developing your offer. The response also does not meet the required minimum of 150 words, so the letter feels incomplete; for example, you could explain how biryani is prepared, what makes it distinctive, and how much you could provide. A fuller response should develop each requested point and make the offer more specific.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally understandable sequence: you introduce the event, offer biryani, describe it, and then explain why it belongs. Separate paragraphs help distinguish these points. However, the progression is somewhat abrupt, particularly between the event details and the offer, and the final reason is not expanded. The opening sentence is long and repeats information about the club and celebration, which makes the organisation less efficient. Use clearer links between ideas and give each paragraph a focused purpose—for example, move directly from your offer to a fuller description, then connect the dish’s popularity to the event’s international theme. This would make the overall flow smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant food vocabulary, including “lentil-rice,” “meat,” “spices,” “bread,” and “mushroom soup,” so the reader can understand the topic. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or awkward, such as “adding a food,” “varities of foods,” and “local vibes.” These choices make parts of the letter less natural and occasionally unclear. Aim for more precise expressions when describing the dish and its appeal, such as its ingredients, flavour, or cultural significance. Check spelling and use natural collocations; for instance, describe biryani as a popular dish rather than “a food.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate the main ideas using both simple statements and some longer sentence forms, such as “I would like to explain why this must be included…”. However, control is uneven, and errors in sentence construction and punctuation sometimes make the message harder to follow. For example, “there are varities of foods such as bread and vegetables, mushroom soup etc are famous” combines sentence patterns without a clear grammatical structure. The opening sentence is also overloaded, while “this dish is mixture” needs an article. Practise building shorter, complete sentences and then joining them accurately with conjunctions. Check articles, agreement, and punctuation before submitting.

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