Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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 ask for your help in finding some important papers that I believe I left in my hotel room during my recent stay.

I stayed at your hotel from September 12 to September 15, and I think I may have left the papers on the desk beside the window in my room. They were kept inside a blue folder, along with some other documents.

These papers are extremely important to me because they contain documents related to my university studies. I need them to complete an important application, and replacing some of the documents would be very difficult and time-consuming.

I would be grateful if you could ask your housekeeping staff to check the room and the lost and found department. If the papers are found, please contact me and let me know how I can collect them or have them sent to me.

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

Yours faithfully,

Karam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully and effectively addresses all three bullet points required in the prompt. For the first bullet point, the student clearly specifies the location where the papers were left, stating they were on the desk beside the window in a blue folder. For the second bullet point, the explanation of their importance is well-articulated, mentioning that they are university study documents required for an urgent application. For the third bullet point, the student provides a clear instruction to the manager to ask housekeeping to check the room and lost and found, and to contact them regarding collection or postage. The tone is appropriate for a formal business letter, and all ideas are fully developed and relevant. The response easily achieves a Band 8.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are logically sequenced, moving seamlessly from the purpose of the letter and the location of the papers, to their importance, and finally to the requested action. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph dedicated to a distinct aspect of the message. Cohesive devices such as referencing ('These papers', 'They') and transition phrases are managed effectively without being obtrusive. The salutation and sign-off ('Dear Sir or Madam' and 'Yours faithfully') are also conventionally correct. Overall, the structural flow is smooth and warrants a solid Band 8.0 for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student uses a sufficient and natural range of vocabulary suitable for a formal correspondence. Phrases such as 'extremely important', 'time-consuming', and 'lost and found department' demonstrate a good control of common lexical items and collocations. While there is no extensive deployment of rare or sophisticated idioms, the vocabulary is precise and meets the demands of the task effectively. Word choice is accurate, and spelling is flawless throughout the text. The lexical control displayed supports a comfortable Band 7.0, as the language is natural and precise without notable errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response exhibits a good variety of sentence structures, successfully combining complex sentences ('I am writing to ask for your help in finding some important papers that I believe I left...') with clear, accurate simple structures. Grammatical control is strong, with the vast majority of sentences being completely error-free. Tense usage is consistent and appropriate across past events (the hotel stay) and present/future requests. Punctuation is also well-handled. Because of the high frequency of error-free sentences and the confident handling of complex syntactic forms, this response easily satisfies the criteria for Band 8.0 in grammatical accuracy and range.

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

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