Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-19

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 6.0)

Dear Manager,

I am writing to suggest some improvements to the reception area, following several complaints that have recently been made by visitors.

Firstly, some visitors have complained that the reception area is often over crowded, particularly in the morning and lunch time. Also, there are less space for seating and it is always too noisy. Some complain that it is very difficult to locate the reception desk because there is insufficient signage.

I beleive that the reception area is particularly important because it is first place visitors see when they enter the company. A clean, comfortable and well organised reception area can create a first positive impression and make feel welcomed and valued.

I would therefore suggest adding more chairs and creating a separate waiting area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions: it describes the complaints (overcrowding, noise, signage), explains why the reception area is important (first impression, making visitors feel welcomed), and suggests improvements (adding chairs, creating a separate waiting area). The tone is appropriate for a letter to a manager. However, the length requirement of 150 words is not met, as the student's response contains only 127 words, which is 23 words short of the minimum. This under-length limitation restricts the development of ideas, preventing the response from achieving a higher band score despite covering all parts of the prompt adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression and structure. The response opens with a standard letter greeting and a clear statement of purpose. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the description of complaints, the importance of the reception area, and the suggested solutions. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Firstly', 'Also', and 'I would therefore suggest'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally hindered by the brevity of the text, and some sentences could be linked more fluidly. Overall, the organization is coherent and easy to follow, supporting a solid mid-range score for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate functional phrases such as 'suggest some improvements', 'over crowded', and 'insufficient signage'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary and collocation items like 'first positive impression' and 'welcomed and valued'. However, there are a few noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'over crowded' (written as two words) and 'less space' (should be 'fewer spaces' or 'less seating space'), alongside the spelling error 'beleive'. These minor lexical inaccuracies do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the competent band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional-like structures successfully (e.g., 'I am writing to suggest some improvements...', 'A clean, comfortable and well organised reception area can create...'). There are some minor grammatical errors, notably 'there are less space' where subject-verb agreement is faulty with an uncountable/countable confusion. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not impede communication. The control of grammar is decent for the level attempted, balancing error-free simple structures with occasional slips in more complex constructions.

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

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