Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-21

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 5.5)

Dear Sir/Madam.

I am writing a letter about the changes of the reception area.

It is noticed from the few days that visitors mostly complain about the reception area, so i think we have to do some changes. The first complain about the sitting area. There is not a big area to sit. Sometimes they have to wait while standing. And the another one is water cooler .

I think it is very important because when customer enter ,it looks be eye catching. Itis normally called that first is the last impression. So when they will visit , will be more interact, and always willing to be come again and again.

Hope mine ideas will be more beneficial for renovating the reception area. Firstly, we have to focuse on the sitting area, and the second one is water cooler, which visitors already complain about it. Another one , i want to recommend the flowers as well as some greenery such as small plants, and flowers. Also one fish water box also.

Hope you will focus on this.

Your faithfully,

Amandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: describing the complaints, explaining the importance of the reception area, and suggesting improvements. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, you mention the water cooler as a complaint but do not explain what is wrong with it. Similarly, the suggestions for improvement are listed rather than explained in detail. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points by providing more context or reasoning for your suggestions. The tone is generally appropriate for a letter to a manager, though it lacks some professional polish.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. However, the flow between sentences is often disjointed. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'firstly' and 'secondly', but the transitions between ideas are sometimes abrupt, such as the sudden mention of the fish tank. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, for example, 'the another one is water cooler' is grammatically awkward and hinders the smooth progression of your argument. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear focus would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic message, but it is quite repetitive and lacks precision. Phrases like 'do some changes' and 'big area' are very basic. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'fish water box' instead of 'aquarium' and 'will be more interact' which is grammatically incorrect. To improve, you should aim to use more specific professional vocabulary related to office environments and avoid repeating simple words. Expanding your range of adjectives and nouns will help you express your ideas more clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter, including issues with articles ('the sitting area'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure ('it looks be eye catching'). Many sentences are simple or contain errors that occasionally impede communication, such as 'always willing to be come again and again'. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often faulty. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly the correct use of prepositions, articles, and verb tenses. Proofreading for common errors like missing 's' on plurals or incorrect verb forms will help increase your accuracy.

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

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