The purpose of this study was to develop an effective instructional model that could help students acquire necessary skills and knowledge for passing an entry-level baking certificate exam. Adopting an action research method, the researchers designed an instructional model that incorporated a mind mapping technique and implemented the instructional model on 14 11th-graders with intellectual disability in a vocational senior high school. The instructional activities included teacher guidance, self-instruction, group competition, and final assessment. The collected data consisted of interviews, classroom observation, a reflective journal from the researchers, students' assessment, and the worksheets and feedback sheets completed by students. The results demonstrated that the effect of the instructional model on learning varied among students, due to a wide range of individual differences. In order for students with intellectual disability to use the mind-mapping technique effectively, teachers should adopt multiple learning and reviewing strategies during the instruction. The researchers also found that the mind-mapping technique was suitable for students with intellectual disability since it enhanced classroom engagement and reduced frustration incurred by regular instructional styles. More specifically, students with higher cognitive function, better reading, and/or better language comprehension tended to benefit more from the instructional model. This may be because the mind-mapping technique complemented their skill sets. Some possible limitations of using the mind-mapping technique as instructional activities are related to motivation, abstract thinking, emotional disturbances, previous learning styles, and distractions derived from learning other subjects.