Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-22

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)

Subject:giving feedback to director about cookery course

Dear sir ,

I am writing a letter about cookery course which I did last month. I hope you are doing well .

Firstly , I would like to discuss my happiness that I completed my this course . I enjoyed a lot of this course because learning method of this course is a very different way. I learnt lot of making different kind of dishes which is my favourite . Moreover ,before of this course I don’t know how I use different ingredient .

Furthermore , I would like to discuss that I done my all cookery course skills from starting to end point such as how much use anything for making any kind of dish.

Finally, although I like everything thing is good but I suggest you that you need to add some another cookery which is popular these days .

I look forward to hearing from you soon

Thanks you for your time and consideration .

Yours faithfully ,

Kamalpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You described what you enjoyed, mentioned your cooking practice, and suggested a new course. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, when you mention that the 'learning method' was different, you do not explain why or how it was effective. Similarly, the suggestion for a new course is vague, as you do not specify what kind of course you would like to see. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific details and examples to fully develop your ideas rather than just stating them briefly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Finally' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression is occasionally hindered by grammatical errors. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'I done my all cookery course skills', which makes it difficult to understand exactly what you mean. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would improve the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your main points. However, the range is quite limited, and there are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'I would like to discuss my happiness' and 'before of this course'. You rely on simple, repetitive language to describe your experiences. To improve, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary related to cooking and feedback, and work on collocations—the way words naturally go together—to make your writing sound more natural and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You make frequent errors with verb tenses (e.g., 'I done my all cookery course'), articles, and prepositions (e.g., 'before of this course'). Some sentences are difficult to parse due to these errors, such as 'I learnt lot of making different kind of dishes'. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage will significantly improve your score.

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

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