Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-05

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter regarding my classified documents that I have lost somewhere in your hotel.

I checked in The Briston Hotel last friday and stayed there for the weekend. I beleive I have lost my black bag that have some important documents in it. My room number was 406 but I highly doubt that the bag will be in the room ; however, I did happen to had a cup of coffee before checking myself out and may have forgot it there.

The bag has some classified documents that is very confidential for my clients and myself. In addition, it has the Blueprints of the building I am currently working on and if I do not find them, it might cause me my job.

I would really appreciate if you could ask your staff members to look for my black bag. It was a blue handle and has “Gucci” written on it. You can write me back on this email or call me on -[redacted phone] if it is found.

Thank you for your time. Hope to get a response from you soon on this matter as the documents are crucial for me.

Kind regards,

Mavi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly state where you believe the papers were left (the coffee area), explain their importance (confidentiality and potential job loss), and provide clear instructions to the manager regarding the search and contact details. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter. To reach a higher band, ensure that the development of ideas is slightly more nuanced; for instance, you could have briefly described the appearance of the documents themselves to assist the staff further. However, the task requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition' and 'however' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by minor mechanical issues, such as the semicolon usage in the first paragraph. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, and the paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, ensure that transitions between sentences are more varied to enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'classified documents', 'confidential', and 'blueprints'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'cause me my job' instead of 'cost me my job' and 'forgot it' instead of 'left it'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over common collocations. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated synonyms for common verbs would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I beleive' (spelling), 'that have' (subject-verb agreement), 'did happen to had' (incorrect verb form), and 'that is' (should be 'are' to agree with 'documents'). While these errors are frequent, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage, particularly when describing past events and current states.

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

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