Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-23

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my worry about losing crucial work documents in your hotel. I wish you can help me retrieve them.

I believe that I have left my work papers in your hotel as our company organized meetings in your hotel from August 12 to August 15. All the meeting were held in the meeting hall number 4 on the second floor in your hotel.

I am writing to you to inform you that these documents are extremely crucial as they are confidential to one of our important clients. Unfortunately, we have an urgent face to face meeting with this client tomorrow.

I wish you can aid me to find these confidential documents as soon as possible, you can ask the cleaning staff about these papers because I am sure I left them in the meeting room.

I hope you read my letter and assist me urgently, and thanks in advance for your time and your effort.

Best regards,

James Mike

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly identify the location of the papers (meeting hall number 4), explain their importance (confidentiality and an upcoming client meeting), and state your request for assistance. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a hotel manager. To reach a higher band, ensure that the development of ideas is slightly more sophisticated; for example, you could briefly describe the appearance of the folder or documents to help the staff locate them more effectively. Overall, the task is fully accomplished.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your message easily. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately' and 'as soon as possible' to link ideas. However, the transition between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical. To improve, try using a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in light of this') to improve the flow and ensure that the progression of ideas feels more natural and less like a list of points.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'confidential', 'retrieve', and 'organized'. The language is generally clear and appropriate for a formal context. However, there is some repetition of basic words such as 'hotel' and 'papers'. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more precise collocations and a broader range of synonyms. For instance, instead of repeating 'hotel', you could use 'establishment' or 'premises'. Additionally, ensure that your word choices are consistently formal to maintain the professional tone required for this type of correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to understand. There are some minor grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'I wish you can help me' (should be 'I hope you can help me' or 'I would appreciate your help') and 'All the meeting were held' (should be 'All the meetings were held'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading of verb agreement and modal verb usage. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures would further enhance your score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.