Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-23

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 6.0)

Dear Director,

I recently completed the short cookery course and I am writing to give you my feedback on this course.

Firstly, I would like to say the course was an excellent experience for me. I appreciated the fact that the head chef, who was our professor did an amazing job attending to all students' needs during our time there. I enjoy the cooking challenges we had. For example we had to come up with our own idea of a dessert we would like to make. I personally loved this task as it helped to push me creatively.

Also I was able to expand my cooking experience through the cooking practicals we had set out to do twice a week, so I would say I did lots of cooking throughout my time. It would be interesting to see a new cookng course be offered at the school. I suggest a Caribbean cookery course, expanding the culture art of different foods.

Yours truly,

Anna

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three requested points: you describe enjoying the chef’s support and the creative dessert challenge, mention cooking during the course, and suggest a Caribbean cookery course. These details are relevant, but the second point is not fully answered: “I did lots of cooking throughout my time” refers mainly to the course, rather than explaining how much you have cooked since it ended. The proposed course is also only briefly explained; “expanding the culture art of different foods” is unclear. The letter’s purpose is clear, but the greeting does not follow the requested opening. To strengthen the response, describe specific cooking you have done after the course and explain what students would learn from the suggested course.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening, a paragraph about the course experience, and a closing paragraph covering later cooking and your suggestion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” and “Also” help guide the reader, and the dessert example supports your point about enjoying the course. However, the final paragraph combines two task points without a clear transition, and “so I would say I did lots of cooking throughout my time” does not clearly connect to cooking after the course. Some linking is mechanical, and the reference in “the culture art of different foods” is difficult to follow. Use separate, focused paragraphs for each point and clearer transitions to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the letter, including “excellent experience,” “attending to all students’ needs,” “cooking challenges,” and “push me creatively.” These phrases communicate your positive response and give some specificity. There are, however, several imprecise or awkward choices: “professor” is not the natural term for a cookery instructor, “cooking practicals” is repetitive, and “the culture art of different foods” does not express your intended meaning clearly. There is also a spelling error in “cookng.” Aim for more precise collocations and explain the Caribbean course in terms of its cuisine or dishes. These improvements would make your ideas more natural and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause “the head chef, who was our professor” and the purpose clause “as it helped to push me creatively.” Most sentences are understandable, and errors do not generally prevent communication. Some grammatical control is inconsistent: “I enjoy the cooking challenges we had” shifts tense from the surrounding past-tense account, while “I suggest a Caribbean cookery course, expanding…” leaves the relationship between the suggestion and the following phrase unclear. The example sentence would also benefit from punctuation after “For example.” Check tense consistency and make sure participle phrases clearly attach to the intended idea; this will improve accuracy while preserving your sentence variety.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.