Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently did a short cookery course. The cookery school has asked for your feedback on this course. Write a letter to the course director at the cookery school. In your letter

• describe what you enjoyed about the course
• say how much cooking you've done since the course
• suggest another cookery course you’d like the school to offer

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Madam,

I am writing this letter to give you feedback about the cookery course which I had recently done.

Firstly, I would give you feedback and then we will continue. I enjoyed this cookery course because of

so many reasons including the atmosphere, the way you teach us how to make delicious dishes. One thing I admire about you the most is your kind behaviour. It really impressed me.

I have tried so many desserts that you teach me including chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and fudge brownies. Furthermore, I made white sauce pasta by following your famous recipe and it turned out so good. I didn't expect pasta to be this much tasty and yummy.

I really had fun while doing this course. Therefore, I would request you to give us another cookery course, so that I can join this time with my friends.

I hope that you would like my feedback and look forward to my request.

Yours Faithfully,

X-Y-Z

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main points by describing what you enjoyed, giving examples of dishes you have made, and requesting another course. The comments about the atmosphere, teaching and the instructor’s kindness provide relevant feedback. However, the amount of cooking you have done since the course is not clearly stated: listing several dishes shows what you made, but not how often or over what period. The request for another course is also vague; you could name a specific subject, such as vegetarian cooking or pastry-making, and explain why it interests you. These details would make the response more complete and develop the ideas beyond a basic account.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for your enjoyment, cooking examples and request. Linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “Furthermore” and “Therefore” help signal relationships between ideas. However, “Firstly, I would give you feedback and then we will continue” does not introduce a clear point and interrupts the progression. The transition from enjoying the course to listing dishes could also be more direct. Some connections are mechanical, and the closing sentence, “I hope that you would like my feedback and look forward to my request,” is unclear about what you expect the director to do. Use a clearer sequence and more precise references to improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including course-related terms such as “atmosphere,” “delicious dishes,” “desserts” and “recipe.” The examples of specific foods also make the feedback concrete. However, several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, including “give you feedback” twice and “so good,” “tasty and yummy.” Some phrases do not sound natural in this context, such as “this much tasty,” and “kind behaviour” is less idiomatic than a phrase describing the instructor’s manner. A broader range of precise, natural expressions would make the letter more fluent and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, for example, “I enjoyed this cookery course because of so many reasons including the atmosphere” and “Furthermore, I made white sauce pasta by following your famous recipe.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur in verb forms and sentence construction. “The course which I had recently done” would be more naturally expressed with “taken,” while “the desserts that you teach me” needs a past-tense verb, such as “taught.” The construction “I didn't expect pasta to be this much tasty” is also faulty. Review tense consistency and adjective constructions, and use punctuation to avoid awkward breaks, such as the space after “because of.”

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

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