Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-19

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I hope you are doing great. I have to write this letter to inform you something important about my papers.

There are some important papers in the hotel which I want to leave in a safe place.

I have my educational documents with me and I'm going away for some work and want to leave that papers in the hotel. I don't want to take that papers with me where I'm going.

There is a one drawer in your office which is empty and I want to leave my important papers for some days. As that are educational papers so don't want to misplace them with your hotel papers. I already keep them in a one file and put seperately in your drawer to make sure it should be safe.

I want you to keep an eye on that papers until I'm not coming back to the hotel. As soon as I will come back will take that papers from there.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You attempt to cover the three requested points by identifying the papers as educational documents, explaining their importance, and asking the manager to keep them safe. However, the central situation is unclear: the task says you left the papers at the hotel after a meeting, whereas you write that you “want to leave” them there and describe placing them in a drawer. This makes it uncertain where they are now and whether the manager needs to search for them. The reason for their importance is also only briefly stated. Clearly explain where you believe you left the papers after the meeting, why replacing or losing them would matter, and what specific action you want the manager to take, such as checking the office drawer and contacting you.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter has separate paragraphs for the papers, their importance and your request, so the reader can identify the main topics. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the account shifts between wanting to leave the papers, having already put them in a drawer, and returning to collect them. These ideas need a clearer sequence that matches the situation: explain when and where you left the papers, then give their significance, and finish with a direct request. Linking phrases such as “I believe I left them…” and “Could you please…” would make the relationships between points clearer. The repeated use of “papers” and “that” also makes references less precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic subject, with phrases such as “educational documents,” “safe place” and “keep an eye on.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, which sometimes makes the message harder to interpret. For example, “I want to leave in a safe place” does not clearly express that the papers were accidentally left behind, and “hotel papers” is unclear in this context. “Misplace” is also not the most natural choice for describing the risk to important documents. Use more precise expressions such as “I believe I left the documents in the office drawer” and “please keep them secure.” Check spelling as well: “seperately” should be “separately.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence structures, but grammatical errors are frequent and can make the timeline and request difficult to understand. Examples include “I want to leave that papers,” “As that are educational papers,” and “As soon as I will come back will take that papers.” These show problems with articles, plural agreement, pronouns and verb forms. The sentence “There is a one drawer” also uses an article incorrectly. Most sentences follow simple patterns, and the longer clauses are not yet controlled consistently. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, for example: “I left the papers in a drawer in your office” and “When I return, I will collect them.”

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.