Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-10

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my happiness regarding the recent cookery course and to provide some positive feedback on the classes.

This course has provided me with extensive knowledge and hands-on experience with different cuisines, and I am very delighted to say that over the past several days, I have been cooking plenty of different delicious cuisines, including Mexican and Chinese. Furthermore, I had a very good experience with other students who have not only helped me practically but also with the different recipes which vary from country to country.

I would be grateful if you could provide me with the details of another cookery course that could help me develop professionally in the future as one of the greatest chefs and help me open my own restaurant one day.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Ashu Berwal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You described what you enjoyed, mentioned your cooking frequency since the course, and suggested a future course. However, the third bullet point is not fully addressed. The prompt asks you to suggest another cookery course you would like the school to offer, but you instead asked the school to provide you with details of a course they might already have. To improve, you should propose a specific type of course (e.g., 'a course focused on pastry making' or 'a course on vegan cooking') to show you have fully engaged with the prompt's requirement to make a suggestion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore' and 'not only... but also' to link ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is slightly abrupt. The flow could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to connect your personal experience to your future goals. Overall, the message is easy to follow, and the progression of ideas is clear throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'extensive knowledge', 'hands-on experience', and 'develop professionally' are used correctly. However, there are some minor issues with collocation and word choice. For instance, 'cooking plenty of different delicious cuisines' is slightly unnatural; 'preparing a variety of dishes' would be more precise. Additionally, 'express my happiness' is a bit simplistic; 'express my satisfaction' would be more appropriate for a formal letter. Expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary related to cooking would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the relative clause in '...other students who have not only helped me...'. Most of your sentences are clear and grammatically accurate. There are a few minor issues, such as the phrase 'I am very delighted to say', where 'delighted' is an absolute adjective and does not typically take 'very'. Despite these minor slips, your grammar is generally controlled, and your meaning is never obscured. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, more consistently.

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

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