Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-20

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 to express the genuie experience towards the cookery course I did last week.

Firstly to begin with, I really enjoyed the way you teach the course, especially the practical skills you gave. Moreover, I am slowly learner person but the mentor took the class again and again. For illlustrate, last two week before they conducted practical exam, I was not able to attain the exam because of the health issues, however i got chance to rewrite the exam and I got desired marks.

Furthermore, I did almost 50 above dishes I tired with help of the tutor and classmates. For instance, I prepared a dessert for my nephew 6th birthday everyone appreciated me for the lovely sweet. I would like to suggest one course that introduce the schools Culinery chief I heard that lots of oppourtunity are there.

Thank you for your valuable time and consideration. I will look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Sincerely,

Riya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The candidate has attempted all three bullet points required by the prompt, ensuring the general purpose of the letter is clear. Firstly, the enjoyable aspects of the course are described, such as the teaching style and practical skills. Secondly, cooking activity since the course is mentioned, including the preparation of dishes. Finally, a suggestion for a new course is made. However, some parts of the response are slightly unclear or underdeveloped, particularly the suggestion for the new course where phrases like 'introduce the schools Culinery chief' lack full clarity and precision. Despite these minor lapses in development and some awkward phrasing, the main functions of the task are appropriately covered, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a recognizable letter format and is divided into paragraphs, which provides a coherent overall arrangement. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Firstly to begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. However, some of these devices are awkward or mechanically applied, such as 'Firstly to begin with' which is repetitive and non-standard. Paragraphing is present, but referencing and logical progression are occasionally faulty, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between learning speed and the exam anecdote feels disjointed. Overall, the organization is sufficient for a Band 6, though cohesion could be managed with greater flexibility and naturalness.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to incorporate less common items and descriptive words. However, there are numerous word choice, collocation, and spelling errors throughout the text. Examples include 'genuie' instead of genuine, 'learner person' instead of slow learner, 'illlustrate' instead of illustration, 'attain' instead of take/attend, and 'Culinery chief' instead of culinary chef. While these errors are noticeable and require the reader to occasionally decode the intended meaning, communication is not completely impeded, placing the lexical performance solidly at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing connectors and dependent clauses such as '...when they conducted practical exam, I was not able to attain...'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors that cause difficulty for the reader. Notable errors include 'I am slowly learner person', 'last two week before', 'I did almost 50 above dishes I tired with help', and issues with tense consistency and prepositions. While some error-free sentences do exist, the high frequency of grammatical slips and awkward syntax prevents the response from achieving a higher band.

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

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