Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-28

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 8.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to enquire about some important papers that I believe I accidentally left at your hotel during my recent stay.

I stayed at your hotel for three nights and checked out on Monday morning. I think I may have left the papers in the bedside drawer in my room. They were kept inside a blue folder, which also contained some other documents.

These papers are extremely important because they are original documents that I need for an upcoming application. Unfortunately, I do not have copies of them, and replacing them would be difficult and time-consuming.

I would be grateful if you could ask the housekeeping staff to check my room and the hotel’s lost property department. If the papers are found, please contact me as soon as possible. I would be happy to arrange a courier service or pay any postage costs required to have them returned.

Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Simi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 9.0

The letter fully addresses all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified the location of the papers (bedside drawer), explained their importance (original documents for an application), and provided a clear request for action (check the room/lost property and contact you). The tone is consistently formal and appropriate for a letter to a hotel manager. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the ideas are well-developed and relevant to the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is well-structured with a logical progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the request, which makes the information easy to follow. You have used cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Unfortunately', 'If the papers are found', and 'I would be grateful if', which help to link sentences and ideas smoothly. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall flow is natural and professional.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message with precision. Phrases such as 'enquire about', 'accidentally left', 'time-consuming', and 'arrange a courier service' are accurate and appropriate for the context. The language is natural and demonstrates a good command of formal register. There are no spelling or word-choice errors, and the vocabulary is well-suited to the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 9.0

The letter displays a high level of grammatical accuracy. You have used a variety of sentence structures, including complex sentences with conditional clauses ('If the papers are found, please contact me...') and relative clauses ('which also contained some other documents'). The punctuation is correct throughout, and there are no noticeable errors in tense or agreement. The writing is clear, fluent, and error-free.

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

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