Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-25

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 Monika,

I am writing this letter to you regarding the complaints of the reception area where visitors comes at a first place when they entered in our company.

Major complaints about reception area are that washroom sign is missing, it is hard for visitors to find. Another issue is seating arrnagement not done properly instead of window facing, sofa and chairs are placed facing back side of the building which is garbage spot. Visitors have to move and walk to the window side for the beautiful mountain view. Last but not the least, vendor machine is not working since long, if visitors want to buy something to eat but they are unable to do so.

Reception area is an essential part of the company because it is a place where everyone comes and goes. If any visitors want something they will visit reception area only. Reception is the prime location for the visitors to wait for long time. Reception area needs to be well maintain with all essential amenities for the visitors.

Here are the few suggestions to overcome the complaints of reception area. Firstly, there should be proper signs and posters to indicate where washroom is located. Secondly, seating arrangements need to be change and arrange facing to window and add more chairs for visitors during rush hours. Lastly, vendor machine needs to be fix so that visitors can enjoy snacks and drinks.

Yours faithfully,

Heli

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You have successfully covered all bullet points required by the task prompt. You described the complaints effectively, such as the missing washroom sign and the poor seating arrangement facing the garbage spot. You also explained why the reception area is important as a primary location for visitors, and provided practical suggestions for improvement like adding signs, rearranging furniture, and fixing the vending machine. Your tone is appropriately professional and polite for a letter to a manager. Although some ideas could be slightly more expanded to reach a higher band, all parts of the prompt are addressed clearly, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.5 or Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

Your letter is structured with a clear overall arrangement. You use paragraphing well to separate the introduction, the specific complaints, the importance of the reception, and your suggestions. Cohesive devices and transition markers are used to guide the reader through your points, such as 'Another issue is', 'Last but not the least', and 'Firstly, there should be'. However, some cohesive links feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, and referencing is occasionally slightly loose, such as connecting sentences without smooth transitional phrasing. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, successfully communicating your ideas with terms like 'essential amenities', 'rush hours', and 'prime location'. However, there are several word choice and collocation errors that prevent a higher score. For example, you wrote 'visitors comes at a first place when they entered in our company' instead of 'arrive at our company', 'arrnagement' contains a spelling error, 'vendor machine' should be 'vending machine', and 'since long' should be 'for a long time'. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect the characteristics of Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms throughout the letter, such as 'If any visitors want something they will visit reception area only.' There are several noticeable grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('vendor machine is not working'), missing articles ('washroom sign is missing'), and preposition mistakes ('facing to window'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while these errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher score, they rarely impede the overall meaning of your letter. This level of grammatical control fits the Band 6 descriptors.

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

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