Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-22

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently helped your company organise an event at a hotel. Write a letter to the hotel manager. In your letter:

– Provide details about the event
– Mention what you particularly liked about the hotel
– Suggest areas for improvement.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir / Madam,

Student answer (Band 8.5)

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing to thank you and your staff for hosting our company's annual conference at your hotel last Saturday. The event was attended by approximately 80 employees and included several presentations, a team-building session and an evening dinner.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with the facilities and service provided by your hotel. In particular, I was impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of your staff, who ensured that the event ran smoothly. The conference hall was spacious, well organised and equipped with all the necessary audio-visual equipment. In addition, the food served during lunch and dinner was excellent, and several of my colleagues particularly appreciated the variety of vegetarian options available.

However, there are a few areas that could be improved. The air conditioning in the conference hall was not working effectively, making the room rather warm in the afternoon. Furthermore, the Wi-Fi connection was occasionally unstable, which caused minor difficulties during some of our presentations. I would recommend having these facilities checked before future corporate events.

Despite these minor issues, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience and would certainly consider using your hotel again.

Yours faithfully,

Yogendra

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 9.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly described the event, including the number of attendees and the nature of the activities. You also provided specific positive feedback regarding the staff and facilities, and offered constructive suggestions for improvement regarding the air conditioning and Wi-Fi. The tone is consistently professional and appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task requirements. You have successfully met all the criteria for a high-scoring response in this category.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 9.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, moving smoothly from the introduction to the positive feedback, then to the areas for improvement, and finally to the conclusion. You have used cohesive devices such as 'In particular', 'In addition', 'However', and 'Furthermore' effectively to link your sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall clarity of the message. The flow of information is natural and easy to follow, demonstrating a high level of control over the structure of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.0

You demonstrate a wide and natural range of vocabulary that is well-suited to a formal business context. Phrases such as 'annual conference', 'professionalism and friendliness', 'audio-visual equipment', and 'corporate events' are used accurately and appropriately. There is a good level of precision in your word choice, and you avoid repetition. The language is sophisticated enough to convey your points clearly without any awkward phrasing. You have used collocations effectively, such as 'thoroughly enjoyed' and 'occasionally unstable', which enhances the professional tone of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

Your writing displays a high level of grammatical accuracy with a variety of sentence structures. You successfully combine simple and complex sentences, such as the use of relative clauses ('who ensured that the event ran smoothly') and participial phrases ('making the room rather warm'). Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and there are no noticeable errors in tense or agreement. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and the few minor slips that might occur are non-existent in this text. The control over grammar is consistent and supports the overall professional quality of the letter.

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