Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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

• 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)

Hi Sir,

I would like to suggest a few points to improve reception place. A number of complaints were taken place for this area.

Visitors mentioned the nosie and air conditioner problems. As they told to receptionsist to get some new stuff for the area.

As you know that it is the most essential place for the company which is noticed by every individual. They should be comfortable over there then in the relaxation mode, they would think anout next step to make or get deal.

First of all, noise cancellation glasses should be installed to break the sound which comes from the outside. Secondly, a new air conditioner should be placed for the cooling. Moreover, it would be a great move if digital LED installed on the wall of the area. In this day and age, these things are very important to have a comfortable zone.

I hope you may consider these suggestions to improve the place.

Best Regards,

Abhishek

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all bullet points of the prompt, as you describe the complaints regarding noise and the air conditioner, explain why the reception area is important for visitors and company impressions, and provide practical suggestions for improvement. However, some ideas remain under-developed or lack full clarity. For instance, the mention of visitors telling the receptionist to 'get some new stuff' is vague, and the rationale behind thinking about the next step or deal in relaxation mode is somewhat unclear. To reach a higher level, you need to extend and support your ideas with more precise explanations of how these issues impact daily business interactions and visitor impressions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure from introducing the issue to making suggestions and concluding. Progression is generally maintained, though some cohesive devices feel mechanical or awkward. For example, using 'As you know that it is...' and 'First of all... Secondly... Moreover...' helps structure the response, but referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun 'They' in 'They should be comfortable over there', where the exact antecedent is slightly ambiguous. Paragraphing is used to separate the greeting, introduction, importance, suggestions, and sign-off, which contributes to the organizational flow, but smoother transitions between sentences would enhance overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing a minimally sufficient range to communicate your points about the reception area. You attempt some less common vocabulary, such as 'noise cancellation glasses' and 'digital LED', but these attempts involve inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, as glasses do not cancel room noise and LEDs are typically referred to as screens or displays. There are also notable phrasing errors, such as 'reception place' instead of 'reception area' and 'complaints were taken place'. While these word-choice errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score, and more precise, natural terminology is needed to demonstrate greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct multi-clause sentences. However, there are some errors in grammar and punctuation that surface throughout the text. Examples include awkward phrasing like 'A number of complaints were taken place', preposition errors such as 'As they told to receptionsist', and minor article omissions or structural slips. These errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains understandable, but they prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of accuracy. A greater variety of error-free complex structures and tighter control over verb forms and prepositions are required to improve further.

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