Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

There have been several complaints about the reception area where visitors to your company arrive. Your manager has asked you to suggest how the reception area could be improved.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

• describe the complaints that have been made
• say why the reception area is important
• suggest how the reception area could be improved

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Dear sir,

I would like to do a formal complain about the reception area where I have been facing problems.

My office staff had arrived to the reception for the inquiry because we had a board meeting of our companies ,but staff did not respond properly to my staff and they where kind of arrogant towards us. They have been talking rudely and not giving reply and kept us waiting in the corridor for long time. Always reception area is important because there where we got proper information about our stay and room number and even ticket booking of our airline.

From my point of view the reception area should be always be very accurate and bang on target because ninety percent of hotel staff are relied on them and therefore its very important for all the staff on the reception should be very particular of work which is allotted to them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points, though the development is uneven. You describe the complaints (rudeness, waiting times) and explain the importance of the area. However, the third bullet point—suggesting improvements—is missing entirely. You discuss the importance of the reception area at length but fail to provide any concrete suggestions for improvement as requested by the prompt. This omission significantly impacts the task achievement score, as the response does not fully address the instructions. To improve, ensure you dedicate a specific paragraph to actionable solutions, such as staff training or updated booking systems.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks a clear structure and logical progression. While there is a basic attempt to group ideas, the transition between the complaints and the importance of the reception area is abrupt. The use of cohesive devices is limited and often mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'and' to connect clauses. Paragraphing is also insufficient; the entire body of the letter is presented as a single block, which makes it difficult for the reader to follow the shift in topics. Using clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point would significantly improve the flow and readability of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on simple, sometimes inaccurate phrasing, such as 'do a formal complain' (should be 'make a formal complaint') and 'bang on target'. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'ninety percent of hotel staff are relied on them', which is awkward and unclear. To improve, focus on learning collocations—words that naturally go together—and avoid informal idioms that do not fit the formal tone of a letter to a manager.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'My office staff had arrived to the reception' (tense error), 'there where we got' (incorrect relative pronoun), and 'its very important for all the staff on the reception should be' (sentence structure error). You rely mostly on simple sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement, correct tense usage, and ensuring that your sentences have a clear subject and predicate. Proofreading for small errors like 'where' vs 'were' is also essential.

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

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