Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-19

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 hope this letter finds you well. My name is Sam Mistry, and I am writing this to inform you about my registration papers which I forgot to take.

Yesterday, I visited your store to fill up registration form. However, when supervisor tried to explain me about the store details and fundamental instructions, I mistakenly left my papers at POS counter. These papers are essential to me as my pass appointment is due next day. Moreover, all other appointment dates have been booked. Hence, I have to reach there with my papers. Although, I have already asked supervisor to put it into safe container.

Therefore, It would be grateful if you take those papers from safe container whenever you go to collect the cash today and put it in the office.

Once again, I really appreciate your help. I will collect it tomorrow as early as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Sam Mistry

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You successfully covered all three bullet points required in the prompt. You mentioned where you think you left the papers, explaining that you mistakenly left them at the point of sale counter. You also explained why they are important, stating that your visa appointment is due the next day and all other dates are booked. Finally, you told the manager what you want them to do, asking them to retrieve the papers from the safe container and place them in the office. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. However, there are minor inconsistencies, such as switching between referring to the venue as a hotel in the prompt and a store in your text. Overall, all parts of the task are well addressed, earning a solid band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Your letter has a clear overall progression and logical arrangement. You structured the response into appropriate paragraphs, starting with the purpose of your letter, moving to the details of the incident and importance, and finishing with a call to action and sign-off. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, with transitional phrases like 'However', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore'. Referencing is mostly clear, though some referencing could be smoother, such as 'I will collect it tomorrow' where 'it' refers back to 'papers' (plural). Paragraphing is handled well, contributing to ease of reading and meeting the requirements for a band 6.5 to 7.0 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You attempted some less common phrases such as 'fundamental instructions', 'safe container', and 'essential to me'. However, there are some lexical inaccuracies and unnatural collocations. For example, writing 'fill up registration form' should be 'fill out a registration form' or 'complete the registration form', and 'pass appointment' is not a standard collocation for a visa or identity appointment. There are also slight article omissions, such as 'to explain me about the store details' instead of 'to explain the store details to me'. These minor errors do not impede communication, placing your vocabulary in the band 6 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrated a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using conditional and transitional clauses effectively. For instance, sentences like 'Although, I have already asked supervisor to put it into safe container' and 'Therefore, It would be grateful if you take those papers' show attempts at complex grammar. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the response. These include missing articles ('to fill up registration form', 'put it in the office'), incorrect preposition usage ('explain me about'), and capitalization errors ('It would be grateful'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your letter, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score.

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

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