Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-02
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 or Madam,
I hope you are doing well. I have done my cookery course from your school. So, I would like to write a letter to elaborate my experience that I got by doing these course from Annapurna Cookey School.
Overall, the course was very excellent. I enjoyed lots of things at your school. The practical sessions were very informative that were taken by a professional chefs. It also helped to get better understanding about the process of making food. At the end, I could be able to make all the delicious food by myself.
I have done lots of cooking since joining these course. I did cooking almost 2 to 3 times a day during my course. I preferred to do different kinds of food like italian, chinese, and mexican food. Eventually, I could be able to do all sorts of food without having any mistakes. Moreover, I got the knowledge of all the ingredients which were using in the cooking.
Apart from these courses, I would like suggest one more cookery course that will definitely be helpful for the students, who will join that course. This course would be the "Traditional Cookery Course". By this course, everyone will be able to make some basic food at their home. Which might be possible to create some better value in their family.
Thank you for your cooperation. I am looking forward to get an answer to these suggestion.
Yours sincerely,
Shubham Savaliya
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You successfully cover all three bullet points required in the task instructions. You describe what you enjoyed about the course, such as the practical sessions led by professional chefs, you mention how much cooking you have done since finishing the course, and you suggest a traditional cookery course for future offerings. However, certain parts are more fully developed than others. For instance, the suggestion of the new course remains a bit general and lacks specific details on how it would benefit the school. To move up to a higher band, you should ensure that all parts of the task are extended with more detailed explanations and fully supported ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
Your letter has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a clear format appropriate for a general correspondence, beginning with a standard salutation and ending with a formal sign-off. You use paragraphs to separate different topics, such as your enjoyment of the course, your cooking habits afterwards, and your suggestion for a new course. Nevertheless, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. For example, transitional phrases like 'At the end' and 'Apart from these courses' feel slightly forced, and referencing in sentences such as 'Which might be possible to create' lacks clarity. To improve, you need to use a wider range of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure smoother logical progression between sentences.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases related to cooking, such as 'practical sessions', 'professional chefs', and 'ingredients'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. For instance, writing 'these course' instead of 'this course', 'do different kinds of food' instead of 'prepare different kinds of food', and 'without having any mistakes' rather than 'without making any mistakes'. Additionally, you repeat certain phrases like 'could be able to' multiple times. To achieve a higher score, you should demonstrate greater precision in word choice and avoid repetitive or awkward phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms throughout your letter. You attempt complex structures, such as relative clauses in 'the students, who will join that course', but these attempts are frequently accompanied by errors. There are issues with tense consistency and verb patterns, such as 'I have done my cookery course' and 'Which might be possible to create', as well as minor punctuation errors. While these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear, they are noticeable. To reach a higher band, you need to produce a higher frequency of error-free sentences using a wider variety of complex grammatical structures with better control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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