Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-02

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 Mr. John,

I am writing to provide my feedback about the short cookery course, I completed at your prestige institute. The experience gained during this coure is resulting very beneficial for me.

To begin with, I enjoyed a lot while persuing the course, as Mrs. Smith (tutor) was very helpful and generuous, while teaching as she told us about her experiences, in- sights and techniques about the preparations of food, as it prep is considered as the base for any dish.

Furthermore, after the completion of course, I joined the Hyatt regency as an assistant chief. SInce, day one of joining, I am showing my seniors valuable skill learned during the course. They always enjoy my food, and want to promote very soon, as a chief.

However, I still believe becoming a cook require more skills. So, I am planning to do a proper cookery course at your school, which can help me in my future. Moreover, the Hyatt regency is willing to offer me sponsorship for my future endeavours at their organization.

I hope you will look into this consideration and provide a student offer letter in the course as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Lakhwinder Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You communicate a positive response to the course and mention the tutor’s teaching, your work at the Hyatt Regency, and a wish to take further training. However, the task’s second point is not clearly answered: joining a hotel job and demonstrating skills does not say how much cooking you have done since the course. The final request for a “student offer letter” also shifts the focus from suggesting another course the school could offer; the type of course you want is not specified. These gaps make the response only minimally responsive to key parts of the task. Address each bullet directly, for example by describing how often you cook and naming a specific course you would like the school to run.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, separate paragraphs for course enjoyment and later plans, and a polite closing. Sequencing expressions such as “To begin with,” “Furthermore,” and “However” help signal movement between ideas. Overall, the reader can follow the main message. Some links are mechanical or do not express the relationship clearly: “However” introduces a further-training plan rather than a clear contrast, while “Moreover” adds sponsorship information that is not well connected to the requested course suggestion. The final request also arrives abruptly. Use paragraphing to address each task point in order, and make transitions reflect the actual relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a formal feedback letter, including “valuable skill,” “experiences,” “techniques,” and “future endeavours.” These choices show an attempt to use vocabulary beyond basic everyday language, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “coure,” “persuing,” “generuous,” “chief” for a cooking professional, and “prep” in a formal sentence. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “provide a student offer letter in the course.” Proofread spelling and choose collocations that fit the context. More precise wording for the course you want and the cooking you have done would also make the message clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a reason clause with “as” and a longer sentence describing the tutor’s teaching. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “I am writing …, I completed” joins clauses incorrectly; “the experience … is resulting very beneficial” has an inaccurate verb construction; and “becoming a cook require more skills” has a subject–verb agreement error. Tense use is also inconsistent in “Since day one … I am showing,” where a present perfect form would better express an action continuing from the past. Review clause boundaries, agreement, and tense choices, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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

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