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 Mr Smith,

I am writing this letter in response regarding the improvement suggestions for the reception area of the company.

I recevied many complaints from several old costumers regarding the area, espacially the front desk and the insufficent space of the reception zone.Also, the quality of the AC inside the establishment. Moreover, I believe that paying more attention to the area and creating new desing and making the zone more spacious, could create more welcoming atmosphere and invite more visitors inside the company.

Furtheremore, I believe the most important area of the company is the reception zone, because it represent the face of the company, and it is the zone where costumers feel relaxed and comfortable.

Therefore, creating new decoration and making the area more spacious could be very beneficial for the big picture of the establishment.

Thank you for your attention, I look forward to hearing your prompt response,

Yours sincerely,

Amanda Grace

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt: describing the complaints, explaining the importance of the reception area, and suggesting improvements. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the 'front desk' and 'AC', the description of the complaints lacks specific detail, and your suggestions for improvement are quite general. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your ideas with more specific examples or justifications. For example, instead of just mentioning 'new decoration', you could suggest specific changes like adding comfortable seating or better lighting to enhance the visitor experience.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furtheremore', and 'Therefore' to link your ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more effective. The transition between the complaints and the importance of the area is clear, but the flow within the paragraphs could be smoother. Ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single main idea to improve the overall structure and readability of your letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'recevied', 'costumers' (instead of customers), 'espacially', 'insufficent', 'desing', and 'Furtheremore'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on proofreading your work to catch these common spelling mistakes. While you use some appropriate business-related vocabulary like 'establishment' and 'beneficial', incorporating a wider range of more precise, topic-specific vocabulary would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'in response regarding' (should be 'in response to'), 'represent' (should be 'represents' to agree with the subject 'reception zone'), and minor punctuation issues. The errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage to improve your accuracy. Attempting more varied sentence structures while ensuring they remain error-free will also help you achieve a higher band.

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

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