Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 sir,

i am writing about the feedback of cookery course. Last month, i took admission in cookery course where i learnt number of things such as how to cook food with homemade recipes and international food including, pizza and burger. Honestly, although teachers were very well educated, their teaching way is not appropriate because they had only used theory method instead of practical that is why some people deprived to learn some things.

I suggest to cookery school director to bring improve in that things so people can not only learn easily but also keep remember in mind for long time. Apart from this, while i enjoyed a lot to learn to cook international food but now i want to learn Gujrati food like carrot pudding which is very popular there so now i will wait for the gujrati food classes so i will enroll in this course.

Your faithfully,

Gagan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: describing the course, mentioning cooking frequency, and suggesting a new course. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. The instruction to 'say how much cooking you've done since the course' is not explicitly answered; the student discusses what they want to learn next instead of their current cooking habits. Additionally, the tone is inconsistent for a formal letter, and the structure lacks a clear opening and closing convention appropriate for a formal request. To improve, ensure each bullet point is clearly and directly addressed with sufficient detail.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is divided into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of cohesive devices. While some connectors like 'although' and 'apart from this' are used, they are often placed incorrectly or used to link unrelated ideas. The flow between the critique of the teaching method and the suggestion for a new course is abrupt. Improving the use of transition words and ensuring that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would significantly enhance the coherence of the writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of unnatural phrasing, such as 'took admission in cookery course' and 'bring improve in that things'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles with collocations. To achieve a higher score, the student should focus on learning more natural word combinations and avoiding repetitive or overly simplistic language. Expanding the range of vocabulary to include more specific terms related to education and feedback would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include incorrect article usage (e.g., 'in cookery course'), subject-verb agreement, and awkward sentence structures (e.g., 'some people deprived to learn'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization. While the student attempts some complex sentences, they are often grammatically flawed. Focusing on basic sentence construction, correct verb tenses, and consistent punctuation will help improve the accuracy and readability of the text.

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

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