Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-09

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 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to your request regarding a several complaints about the reception area of our hotel.

Many people have been complaining that token machines are not functioning properly and few staffs are not co-operating adequately with the visitors. Therefore, visitors have to stand in queues for a prolonged period of time.

I strongly believe that reception area has pleasant atmosphere that create positive impression on visitors, As this is the first area of contact. It should be spacious, comfortable, well-organised and properly maintain. This is very important area for visitors as it provides all the details of their queries.

According to me hotel management should change nonfunctional machines with newer ones. Additionally management should organised yearly training for staff to develop their communication skills and management skills. Strict rules should be implemented on behaviour of the staffs to avoid mismanagement.

I hope these suggestions will help you to resolve the problems effectively.

Your sincerely,

Bijal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing the complaints, explaining the importance of the reception area, and suggesting improvements. Your tone is appropriate for a letter to a manager. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention that staff are not cooperating, you could have provided a more specific example of this behavior to make your argument more persuasive. Additionally, the explanation of why the reception area is important is a bit brief. To reach a higher band, try to expand on your points with more descriptive detail or specific examples to fully develop your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the task. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'Additionally', and 'I hope' to link your ideas. However, the flow between some sentences is slightly mechanical. For instance, the transition between the description of the complaints and the importance of the reception area could be smoother. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the progression of ideas within paragraphs is more fluid. Overall, the structure is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly, such as 'functioning properly', 'prolonged period', and 'mismanagement'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'few staffs' (should be 'some staff' or 'a few staff members') and 'properly maintain' (should be 'properly maintained'). You also use 'According to me', which is not the most natural way to introduce an opinion in a formal letter; 'In my opinion' or 'I suggest that' would be better. Expanding your range of collocations and refining your word choices will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'a several complaints' is incorrect (should be 'several complaints'), and 'reception area has pleasant atmosphere' is missing an article ('a pleasant atmosphere'). There are also issues with verb forms, such as 'management should organised' (should be 'should organize'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will be beneficial.

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

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