Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-16

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 or Madam

I am writing this letter to suggest some ideas alond with the complaints we got. Also, sharing some suggestion how we can improve our reception area for better arrival experience to our visitors.

I am begining with complaints we do not have proper sitting arrangement. It makes reception worst specially when it gets crouded.People have to wait long standing in the lines.Also, we have just one worker at reception which makes hard for him to attend multiple visitors at the same time.

Reception area is important because everyone should have to come here first if they want to visit our company or want to get services from us.

We can improve our reception area with expanding sitting ares and setting up more chairs for visitors comfort and also we can hire more receptionistm to make our work fast in this way they do not have to wait long.

Sinceraly,

Sukhpreet Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully describe the complaints regarding the lack of seating and overcrowding, explain why the reception area is important as the first point of contact, and suggest practical improvements such as expanding the seating area and hiring additional staff. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and the letter format has minor issues, such as the informal integration of the purpose in the opening. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, earning a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement, and the progression of ideas is generally clear as you move from complaints to the importance of the area and finally to suggestions. Paragraphing is attempted, though the transitions between paragraphs and sentences feel somewhat mechanical and abrupt, as seen in phrases like 'I am begining with complaints'. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes inaccurate, such as referencing errors ('Also, sharing some suggestion'). Paragraph breaks are present but could be managed more effectively to separate distinct themes more clearly. This performance aligns with Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'reception area', 'visitor', and 'arrangement'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'alond' instead of 'along', 'crouded' instead of 'crowded', 'begining' instead of 'beginning', and 'receptionistm'. These errors do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.0, as they indicate limited control over spelling and precise lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and attempted complex sentence forms. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'Also, sharing some suggestion how we can improve', 'makes reception worst', and 'everyone should have to come here first'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with missing commas and incorrect capitalization in places. While simple sentences are generally understood, frequent errors in more complex structures place this writing firmly in the Band 5.0 category.

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

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