Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-27

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 Maddam,

I want to informe you that the cookery course I have completed in your school gain lot of knowledge to me.Also the teaching staff was polite and helpfull to me to whenever I am facing some difficulties about the cooking subject.

The course structure is well orgernized by the scool management team and all the deatils are clearly mentioned on the study material.I have learned lot of cooking dishes during my training at your school.My favorite disch was BBQ chicken receipy.I have cooked several time for this dilishes. Other than that I learned how to make deserts,such as different type of puddins,cakes and sweets.My other focasing dish was making a good salds and I have made differet typy of salds during my cooking.

I have completed the basic cookery course in your school and I am plan to gain more knowelede in cooking field.Therfore,pleease let me know if your offering new advanced cooking courses and I am happy to start with your good reputed school.

Your faithfully,

Sunimal Mendis

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main points by describing the helpful teaching staff and organised course materials, naming dishes you enjoyed making, and explaining that you have cooked them several times. You also request information about advanced courses, which partly responds to the request for a future course suggestion. However, the final point is not fully developed: you do not identify a particular type of course you would like the school to offer. Some details about what you enjoyed are also listed rather than explained. To strengthen the response, name a specific course, such as a course in international cuisine or pastry-making, and briefly explain why it interests you. The letter is relevant overall, but some task elements remain limited or unclear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable sequence: feedback on the course, examples of dishes prepared, and a closing request about further study. This gives the reader an overall sense of progression, and phrases such as “Other than that” and “Therefore” help connect ideas. However, most of the information is placed in one long paragraph, so the different points are not clearly separated. Some links are also mechanical, and the shift from favourite dishes to future plans could be smoother. Use separate paragraphs for course feedback, cooking since the course, and your suggested future course. Clearer sentence boundaries and more precise references would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant cooking vocabulary, including “BBQ chicken,” “puddings,” “cakes,” and “salads,” and the reader can generally understand the experiences you describe. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the letter difficult to read, for example “informe,” “deatils,” “focasing dish,” and “dilishes.” Some expressions are also unnatural, such as “gain lot of knowledge to me” and “good reputed school.” Aim to use accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for the course content and your cooking experience would help you communicate your feedback more clearly and flexibly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the main message is usually understandable. However, the range of structures is limited, and errors occur frequently in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For example, “I am plan to gain” should be “I plan to gain,” while “I have cooked several time” needs a plural noun and a more suitable construction, such as “I have cooked it several times.” The opening sentence also has an unclear structure, and punctuation is often missing after full stops. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, then check tense and agreement before adding more complex clauses.

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

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