Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 would like to thank you for having me in your cookery course 101. The experience was very remarkable. I really enjoyed the environment created by you and other students.

There were plenty of things which I learnt throughout the entire course. The part of the lesson where you taught us to prepare the fountain salmon for breakfast was my favourite. As I am a big fan of salmon, I liked the dish more than any other breakfast. Even though the recipe was quite difficult, I really enjoyed it.

However, I was given a nick name called Fancy Chef by my family. The reason was simple, as I implemented all of your teaching to practical use while making breakfast.

I would like to recommend adding a small cooking course to the school. This course will include all the local traditional dishes. To make it easy for school, the local will join the students to teach them.

I hope for the success for this course and school. It was really a fantastic experience completing cookery course 101.

Regards,

Peter Parker

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described what you enjoyed (the environment and the salmon recipe), mentioned your cooking frequency since the course (implied by the 'Fancy Chef' anecdote), and suggested a new course (local traditional dishes). However, the second bullet point is addressed somewhat indirectly; while you mention being called 'Fancy Chef' because you implemented the teachings, it would have been clearer to explicitly state how often you have been cooking since the course ended. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter, and the purpose is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'The reason was simple', which help the flow of ideas. To reach a higher band, you could use a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases to connect sentences more fluidly. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs feels slightly abrupt. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow and the letter maintains a consistent structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Phrases like 'implemented all of your teaching to practical use' and 'fantastic experience' are effective. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'fountain salmon' (which is likely a misunderstanding of a term like 'poached' or 'smoked' salmon) and 'the local will join the students' (where 'locals' or 'local chefs' would be more natural). Expanding your range of collocations and ensuring precise terminology would improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear and grammatically sound. There are a few minor errors, such as 'I was given a nick name called Fancy Chef' (should be 'nickname') and 'I hope for the success for this course' (should be 'I hope for the success of this course'). These errors do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more varied complex structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice constructions, to demonstrate greater grammatical flexibility.

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

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