Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-08

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 Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my appreciation for the excellent service I received during a recent corporate event organised by my company at your hotel.

The event was our annual dinner, which was help in the hotel’s main banquet hall last Saturday evening. Around 60 staff members attended the gathering, which included a formal dinner, a few presentations and an award ceremony.

I was mesmerised by the excellent customer service and hospitality of the Hotel’s staff. Every team member was always there to assist us with any questions or concerns. The dinner was one of the highlights of the meeting, as the food was delicious, beautifully presented and offered a variety of dishes to suit different preferences.

Despite the excellent food

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 125 words long. Furthermore, the letter is incomplete; it cuts off abruptly after the phrase 'Despite the excellent food', meaning the third bullet point regarding areas for improvement is entirely missing. While the first two bullet points (event details and positive aspects) are addressed with relevant information, the failure to complete the task and the significant under-length penalty severely impact the score. To improve, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are addressed and that you reach the minimum word count to allow for full development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter shows a logical start with a clear purpose and appropriate paragraphing for the sections provided. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'The event was' and 'I was mesmerised by' to link ideas. However, because the letter is incomplete, the overall progression is interrupted. The lack of a concluding paragraph or a sign-off also affects the coherence of the piece as a whole. To improve, ensure you include a clear closing statement and a formal sign-off, and use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using words like 'appreciation', 'corporate', 'mesmerised', and 'hospitality' effectively. These choices are appropriate for a formal letter. There are no significant spelling errors in the text provided. However, the range is somewhat limited by the brevity of the response. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and idiomatic expressions suitable for formal correspondence, and ensure you have enough length to demonstrate a broader vocabulary range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The grammar is generally accurate, with clear sentence structures. You successfully use complex sentences, such as 'The event was our annual dinner, which was help in the hotel’s main banquet hall'. Note the error 'which was help', which should be 'which was held'. Despite this, the majority of your sentences are error-free. To improve, focus on ensuring consistent verb forms and tense usage. The range of structures is currently limited by the unfinished nature of the letter; completing the task would allow you to showcase a wider variety of grammatical forms.

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

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