Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28

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 6.5)

Dear Manager ,

My name is Dakota Johnson , I stayed in Hotel delux for two days on 27th and 28th september in room 305 . I checked out this morning to catch my flight to California . The reason why I am writing this email to you is because I might have forgotten some important documents in the locker there . These papers are really essential for my visa process ,its my immigration documents . If I lost this then , my visa will not get extended . So I request you to kindly keep that document safe until tomorrow morning . My friend will come and will pick those documents at 10 a.m. tomorow. Please give me a call on my phone number which you have in your register to ensure that its the right person as there are high chances that the papers can get misplaced.

I really appreciate your help.

Thank you,

Dakota J.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The candidate has fully covered all three bullet points required by the task prompt. First, she clearly stated where she left the papers ('in the locker there'). Second, she explained why they are important, noting that 'These papers are really essential for my visa process, its my immigration documents.' Third, she explicitly told the manager what action to take: 'I request you to kindly keep that document safe until tomorrow morning' and instructed him to verify her friend's identity by phone. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a hotel manager, and the response meets all the content requirements of a General Training Task 1 letter. Therefore, this performance satisfies the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear and logical organisation from start to finish. The progression of ideas flows naturally, moving from the context of her stay, to the problem, the importance of the documents, and finally the requested action. Cohesive devices such as 'The reason why I am writing this email to you is because' and 'So I request you to kindly' are used to connect ideas, though paragraphing is somewhat limited as the main body is contained within one large block of text. Despite this minor weakness in visual paragraphing, the message is easy to follow throughout, corresponding to a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, successfully communicating specific details such as 'checked out', 'catch my flight', 'immigration documents', and 'misplaced'. There are some attempts at less common phrasing, but occasional word choice and punctuation slips occur, such as the missing space before commas and the phrasing 'If I lost this then'. While vocabulary is functional and completely sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding the reader, it lacks the precision and flexibility characteristic of a higher band, fitting comfortably at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which you have in your register') and conditional structures ('If I lost this then, my visa will not get extended'). However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation inaccuracies throughout, including comma splices and run-on phrasing, such as 'its my immigration documents' and 'friend will come and will pick those documents at 10 a.m. tomorow' (along with a spelling error on 'tomorrow'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching a Band 6.5, making Band 6.0 the most accurate descriptor.

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

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