Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-24

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter

• say where you think you left the papers
• explain why they are so important
• tell the manager what you want him/her to do

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 8.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform that I left some important documents in the hotel room as I was in a bit of hurry when I checked out.

Last Friday, I checked into your hotel for a one-night stay and my room number was 301. I believe that I left an envelope that contained business related papers in one of the drawers of the office desk in my room.

These documents are really important for an upcoming conference at my office as it includes the details of the proposal that I had been working on for the past couple of months. In addition, since the meeting is in a couple of days, I don't have enough time to redo the work.

I wanted to request if you could please look for the papers and mail it to my home address at your earliest convenience. I apologize for the inconvenience this would cause and am willing to cover all the costs incurred.

I would really appreciate your help and support.

Thank you

Yours Sincerely

Sarah Makkar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identified the location of the papers (room 301, office desk drawer), explained their importance (business proposal for a conference), and provided a clear request for action (mail them to your home address). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a hotel manager. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is immediately clear to the reader. You have successfully met all the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the reason for writing to the specific details and finally the requested action. You have used appropriate cohesive devices such as 'In addition' and 'since' to link your ideas effectively. The paragraphing is sufficient and contributes to the overall clarity of the message. The flow is natural and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message with precision. Phrases like 'at your earliest convenience' and 'costs incurred' are well-suited to the formal register of the task. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it is generally standard. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate slightly more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions appropriate for formal correspondence. However, there are no errors in word choice that impede communication, and the language used is consistently appropriate for the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The letter displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Your control over grammar is generally strong, with most sentences being error-free. There is a minor slip in the first sentence: 'I am writing to inform that I left...' should be 'I am writing to inform you that I left...'. Aside from this, the punctuation and verb tenses are handled accurately. The use of complex structures, such as 'as it includes the details of the proposal that I had been working on', shows a good command of grammatical variety.

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