Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-25

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 5.5)

Dear Manager,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to inform you about the event.

We want to celebrate our boss birthday at your hotel. so i want you to tell you about we are 25 group of people are coming, please vacant an big table for us to sitting. furthermore, we want separate hall so nobody can interfere. we need an music, simple elegant decoration, besides that no need to put an balloons.

What i like mostly is hotel is so big, clean, staff is good, has good communication skills, bathroom is so clean.

Here i want you to suggest car parking area is small, we waste 15 minutes over there to get out of the car.

as there is not so much food available on menu, i want you to suggest that you should add more food, drinks.

I hope you will take it positively. Overall my staff loves so much.

Thankyou,

Yours fathfully,

Emily

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points: providing event details, mentioning positive aspects, and suggesting improvements. However, the development of these points is quite basic. For instance, the event details are somewhat disjointed, and the suggestions for improvement are expressed in a repetitive, informal manner. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on your ideas with more descriptive language and ensure the tone is consistently professional, as this is a formal letter to a manager. The purpose of the letter is clear, but the lack of formal structure and detail limits the overall impact of your communication.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and sometimes mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'and' or 'besides that'. The flow between sentences is often abrupt, and the lack of transition words makes the progression of ideas feel choppy. To improve, you should use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition') to connect your ideas more smoothly and create a more logical flow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is functional but quite limited and repetitive. You rely on basic adjectives like 'big', 'good', and 'clean' multiple times. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'vacant an big table' instead of 'reserve a large table' and 'no need to put an balloons'. To achieve a higher score, you need to demonstrate a broader range of vocabulary appropriate for a formal business context. Avoid informal phrasing and focus on using more precise nouns and adjectives to describe your requirements and feedback.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, particularly with articles ('an music', 'an balloons'), sentence structure, and verb forms ('for us to sitting'). Many sentences are simple or contain run-on structures that lack proper punctuation. While the meaning is generally understandable, these errors are persistent and distract the reader. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of articles. Practising complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or conditional sentences, will also help you demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

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