Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-09

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 5.5)

I am writing a letter to inform you that i left my important documents in your hotel last night.

Yesterday,i came to your hotel for my friend's birthday party. We were in the basement on the last table from the entrance. I am pretty sure that i left the paper on that table.After party i went to my house.

The paper is so improtant because that is my bank statements . I went to birthday party yesterday from the bank. I have to submit these paper to bank today.

I really appreciate, if you look forward in the basement.

Your faithfully,

Harman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the main situation and include a possible location, a reason the papers matter, and a request for the manager to look for them. However, the details are limited and some are unclear: “the last table from the entrance” gives a location, but you do not describe the papers or explain precisely why the bank needs them. The request, “look forward in the basement,” does not clearly tell the manager what action to take. The response is also 48 words below the required minimum, so the task is only partially developed. Add a clear request to search the table and contact you if the documents are found, and explain the urgency more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: you introduce the problem, describe where you were sitting, explain the papers’ importance, and make a request. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these points. Some links between ideas are unclear, however. “I went to birthday party yesterday from the bank” does not show how the bank relates to the party or the documents, and “After party i went to my house” is a rather abrupt transition. The sequence would be easier to follow if you used clear time links and explained the connection between the bank statements and the deadline. A more explicit closing request would also give the letter a clearer progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic situation, with relevant terms such as “documents,” “bank statements,” “basement,” and “submit.” However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations make the message less natural or precise. “The paper” is repeated, although you mean multiple documents, and “look forward in the basement” does not express the intended action. There is also a spelling error in “improtant.” Use more precise phrases such as “bank statements,” “search the table,” and “return the documents.” These improvements would make the request clearer and help the letter sound more appropriate for a formal message to a hotel manager.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate mainly through simple sentences, and the basic meaning is generally understandable. There are some errors in sentence structure, articles, plurals, and punctuation. For example, “Yesterday,i came” needs a space after the comma and a capital “I”; “the paper” should be plural if referring to the documents; and “After party i went to my house” needs an article and clearer phrasing. The conditional request, “I really appreciate, if you look forward,” is also not grammatically formed. Try a wider mix of accurate sentence patterns, such as “I would appreciate it if you could search the table where we were sitting.”

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