Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-21

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

The intent of this correspondence is to bring your attention to this matter and seek an appropriate resolution.

Regarding this I would like to highlight a few important observations. I've done basic cooking course with your school in last winter. The course length was 1 month, Including 5 classes per week. Furthermore, I love to learn making new dishes and I enjoyed making a pizza. On top of that I really want to appreciate the talent of our tutor. She is excellent cook, she was so precise and make delicious food.

That course was basic so we learnt some basic steps for instance, dough making, dough fermentation, pizza making, pie making. To add to this, we also made cookie, bambolini, donuts, tim bits and some samosas.

I would love to register for Intermediate course of the cookery school. To resolve this matter satisfactorily, I am signing my form and courier the course fees to you. That would be immensely great if you put my name on the course list, to avoid any disturbance at last moment.

I extend my appreciation for your consideration and I anticipate your valued response at your earliest convenience.

Yours Sincerely,

Maitri Bavarva

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The letter gives relevant information about the course and shows appreciation for the tutor, with examples such as learning to make pizza and practising dough preparation. However, the task is only minimally addressed because two required points are not properly answered. You do not say how much cooking you have done since the course; instead, you list dishes made during the course. You also suggest an “Intermediate course,” but do not clearly identify a particular type of cookery course the school should offer. The opening and closing focus on registering and paying rather than giving feedback, which further weakens the purpose. Address each bullet directly and develop the post-course cooking experience and course suggestion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has some organisation: course details and enjoyable activities appear first, followed by a list of dishes and then a request about a future course. Paragraph breaks help separate these points. However, there is no clear overall progression from feedback to post-course experience to a specific suggestion, and the registration paragraph shifts away from the task. Linking phrases such as “Furthermore,” “On top of that,” and “To add to this” are used repeatedly and sometimes mechanically, rather than showing precise relationships between ideas. The opening is also disconnected from the feedback that follows. Use a simple sequence matching the three task points, and connect each paragraph with clear, purposeful transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of vocabulary related to cooking, including “dough fermentation,” “pizza,” “samosas,” and “tutor,” so the subject is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal expressions, such as “I extend my appreciation.” However, several phrases are unnatural or poorly matched to a feedback letter: “bring your attention to this matter,” “resolve this matter satisfactorily,” and “valued response” sound like a complaint or formal dispute. Some word choices are also imprecise, such as “talent of our tutor” and “excellent cook.” Choose direct, natural expressions suited to giving feedback, and use more precise language to describe what you enjoyed and what you have cooked since the course.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and some longer structures, and the main meaning is usually understandable. However, errors in articles, verb forms, agreement, and sentence boundaries are noticeable. For example, “I've done basic cooking course” needs an article, while “She is excellent cook, she was so precise and make delicious food” combines clauses incorrectly and shifts verb forms. “Including 5 classes per week” is a fragment, and “I am signing my form and courier the course fees” has inconsistent verb construction. Capitalisation is also inconsistent in “Including.” Review article use and maintain consistent tense, and separate complete clauses with appropriate punctuation. More accurate sentence construction would make the letter easier to follow.

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

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