Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-28

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 5.5)

Dear sir/madam,

I am writing to bring you attention that i will left my important papers in hotel room. I came at your hotel last week from 22 october to 24 october and room number is 304.

I think that papers was left in selfcash when i used for the writing some points at night. Its very important for my recent project and i will be displayed during presentation in next three days.

So, i would to request you that please send one of the hotel waiter in my room and collect the papers which was in selfcash. After collecting the paper you will send by courrier or transportation. I will pay sending cost and extra money for the helping. Please send me your email id that i will send you address, so it wan't to be late to delivery.

I hope you understanding my situation and kind for your help.

Yours faithfully,

Dev

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you identify room 304 and suggest the papers were left in the “selfcash,” explain their importance for a project presentation in three days, and ask the hotel to retrieve and send them. These details make the purpose clear and relevant. The request is also supported by your offer to cover the delivery cost. To make the response more fully developed, clarify exactly where the papers were left, since “selfcash” is difficult to interpret, and specify the action you want the manager to take rather than asking for a waiter to enter “my room.” The urgency and importance are present, but could be explained more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a sensible sequence: you explain your stay and the likely location, describe why the papers matter, and then make a request. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “So” and “After collecting” signal the next steps. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “After collecting the paper you will send by courrier or transportation” does not clearly identify who will send what, and the final sentence about sending your address is difficult to follow. Use clearer references and link the request steps explicitly—for instance, state that you will email your address once the manager replies. This would make the overall progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “important papers,” “project,” “presentation,” “collect,” and “sending cost,” so the reader can understand the main purpose. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making details unclear. “Selfcash” does not clearly name a place, while “hotel waiter” and “courrier or transportation” are not natural choices for this request. There are also spelling and form errors such as “courrier” and “wan't.” Aim for precise, conventional expressions for hotel locations, staff, and delivery arrangements. A wider set of accurate phrases would make the letter more natural and reduce the effort required to interpret it.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes both short statements and attempts at longer sentences, such as “Its very important for my recent project and i will be displayed during presentation in next three days.” However, the longer structures are often faulty, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction can make the message difficult to follow. Examples include “I will left,” “papers was left,” and “I would to request you.” The sentence about the presentation also has an unclear subject and verb relationship. Practise forming requests with “I would like to ask you to…” and checking that subjects agree with verbs and that tense matches the time being described. More accurate control of these patterns is needed.

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.