Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-13

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 5.5)

Dear sir or madam,

I mention that last Monday I visit in your hotel at 2:30pm and leave at near about 7:00pm and I forgot my important documents on reception area. When I reached at my home, I checked all files and I notice one of my file is missing then I got to know I missed that in your hotel.

I mention here that my file cover is a green color and its very essential for my business as all my selling records are there without that file my whole year sales data were loosed.so I urgently need that file. I hope that your staff member got that file and put that in safe place.

so, I humbly request you please hand over that document personally to my company staff member. who visit in your hotel near about 9:00 am on Saturday and take that file from you personally or if you are not available then ask receptionist to hand over it to my company employer.

Your faithfully,

KARAN

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: you identified the location of the papers, explained their importance, and provided clear instructions for their retrieval. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the documents are important for business, providing a bit more detail about the specific nature of the 'selling records' would have strengthened the response. The instructions for the manager are clear, though the phrasing is slightly repetitive. Overall, you have fulfilled the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your message. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'When I reached at my home' and 'so, I humbly request', to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of sophisticated transition words. Some sentences feel disjointed, and the use of punctuation is inconsistent, which affects the overall smoothness of the text. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' to connect your sentences more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your situation clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'documents', 'reception area', and 'humbly request'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'loosed' instead of 'lost' and 'near about' which is non-standard. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding informal phrasing. For instance, instead of saying 'I mention that', you could use 'I am writing to inform you that'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter. Issues include incorrect verb tenses ('I visit' instead of 'I visited'), missing articles ('at reception area'), and awkward sentence construction ('who visit in your hotel'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and occur regularly. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions. Proofreading for basic tense consistency would also significantly enhance the accuracy of your writing.

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

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