Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-26

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 Manager,

I am writing in discussion of the several complaints you received about the reception area at our company and want to provide some suggestion for areas need to be improve for better visitors experience and overall company professionalism.

we have been continuously receiving complaint in relate with the receptionist behaviour, as came to know Mr. Bob is failing to greet visitor and maintaining the area well-organized. However, some visitor lodge the complaint about the long waiting time with uncomfortable seating area.

Reception area i most important part of our company as it attract visitors and make a first impression towards professionalism. Moreover, an organised reception can demonstrate that the company is well-managed and customer-focused.

I would like to give suggestion for hire a new receptionist with positive personality and provide better guidance to visitor.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing complaints, explaining the importance of the reception, and suggesting improvements. However, the response is underdeveloped, particularly in the suggestions section, which lacks detail. Furthermore, the response is 14 words under the 150-word minimum requirement. This failure to meet the length constraint significantly impacts the development of ideas and results in a penalty, as the task is not fully completed according to the instructions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate, such as the use of 'However' to introduce a list of complaints in the second paragraph, which does not logically follow the previous sentence. The progression of ideas is clear, but the transitions between paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall flow of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word-choice errors, such as 'in discussion of' instead of 'to discuss', and 'in relate with' instead of 'regarding'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles with collocations. To achieve a higher band, the student should focus on using more natural, professional expressions suitable for a formal letter to a manager.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'areas need to be improve' (should be 'areas that need to be improved'), 'receptionist behaviour' (should be 'receptionist's behaviour'), and 'as came to know' (missing subject). Punctuation is generally functional, but the recurring errors in verb forms and sentence construction indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of basic sentence syntax.

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

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