Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-04

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

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Gaurav,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to you to discuss about the complaints that we are getting regarding our reception area. In the last week only we got 5 negative reviews saying that the area is not maintained and cleaned well which is utterly bad for the company's reputation.

Reception is the very first place where visitors come in for their queries and enter the building. Many individuals judge the company by watching that how well is the entrance maintained and don't forget first impression is the last impression.

I think we need to shift our main housekeeping focus on the reception area. I am also considering to hire a cleaning company to thoroughly clean the area. What do you think? Also, I placed an order for some show-pieces to put on the counter which will arrive next week. In the meantime, please ask our internal housekeepers to clean the area. Let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards

Komal

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt in a clear and appropriate format. You covered the required bullet points by describing recent negative complaints regarding cleanliness, explaining why the reception area is vital for the company's first impressions, and offering practical improvements such as hiring a cleaning company and adding decorative pieces. The overall tone is professional and suitable for a letter to a manager. To move to a higher band, the ideas could be extended further with more detailed elaboration on the long-term impacts of these complaints or specific scheduling details for the proposed changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter maintains a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You start with an appropriate greeting, move smoothly through the description of complaints and their significance, and conclude with actionable suggestions and a polite sign-off. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'In the last week only', 'Many individuals', and 'In the meantime', which help guide the reader through your thoughts. Paragraphing is handled appropriately, with separate paragraphs dedicated to the introduction of the problem, the importance of the area, and your proposed solutions. To achieve an even higher level of cohesion, smoother transitions between sentences and more varied cohesive markers could be employed.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and workplace terminology such as 'negative reviews', 'company's reputation', and 'internal housekeepers'. However, there are some minor word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as writing 'discuss about the complaints' (instead of simply 'discuss the complaints') and 'utterly bad' rather than a more formal alternative like 'detrimental'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary choices do not impede communication. To reach a higher lexical band, you should incorporate more precise, sophisticated phrasing and natural collocations suited to a professional environment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a reasonable ability to structure your thoughts. You successfully use structures like 'I am writing this letter to you to discuss...' and 'Many individuals judge the company by watching...'. There are some minor errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'watching that how well is the entrance maintained' (which contains awkward phrasing and word order) and an unnecessary preposition in 'discuss about'. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. To improve further, you should aim for greater grammatical precision in complex clauses and ensure that sentence structures remain natural and error-free.

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

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