Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-08

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 Manager,

As directed by you, below are some suggestions in regards to improve recepetion area during the rush hours.

Recenetly, we have received numerous compalints from our customers regarding rush at our customers reception area. To be honest, some of these complaints appears to be genuine. Especially by those customers who are elderly and they have repeatedly submitted their concerns regarding insufficent seating space.

Therefore, I would like to suggest that all the plants next to main entrance door, at th right side be replaced by chairs. As per initial estimates, this place can easily cater 20 additional chairs which shall substantially reduce rush on main reception area.

Aditionally, I would like to propose that a seperate counter be introduced to facilitate individuals over 60 years of age. This step, in my opinion, will take away the rush from main ques.

Lastly, I would like to suggest that our customer representatives be instructed to make announcement after every 10 minutes telling customers to please sit and wait for their turn and not to wander inside the reception area, needlessly.

I think these steps will effectively resolve the reception area issues.

Thank You.

Hasnain Ali.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the complaints and offer several relevant remedies, including more seating, a separate counter for older visitors, and announcements asking people to wait. These suggestions make your purpose clear. However, the task also asks why the reception area is important, and this point is not explained: you could mention that it creates visitors’ first impression of the company or supports an orderly, professional welcome. The complaints are mainly described as a rush and insufficient seating, but the causes and effects could be made clearer. Some proposals, such as replacing the plants with chairs, would benefit from a brief explanation of how they improve visitors’ experience. Covering the missing importance point and developing the ideas more evenly would strengthen the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a generally clear sequence: you introduce the complaints, present practical suggestions, and finish with a concluding sentence. Paragraph breaks help distinguish the main points, and signposts such as “Therefore,” “Additionally,” and “Lastly” guide the reader through your proposals. At times, however, the progression feels somewhat mechanical because several ideas are introduced with similar formulae, and the relationship between the complaints and each remedy could be made more explicit. For example, connect the lack of seating directly to replacing the plants, then explain how the separate counter addresses queues. The opening and closing could also follow a more conventional business-letter format, helping the message feel more complete and smoothly organised.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of task-relevant vocabulary, including “insufficient seating space,” “additional chairs,” “separate counter,” and “resolve.” These choices make the practical recommendations understandable. However, spelling errors such as “recepetion,” “compalints,” “Recenetly,” and “Aditionally” are noticeable, and some phrases are not natural or precise, including “rush at our customers reception area” and “take away the rush from main ques.” “In regards to improve” is also an awkward expression. Aim for accurate spelling and common collocations, such as “crowding in the reception area” and “reduce queues.” More precise wording would make your suggestions sound more professional and help you express the complaints clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “customers who are elderly” and the purpose clause “to facilitate individuals over 60 years of age.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “some of these complaints appears” has a subject–verb agreement error; “this place can easily cater 20 additional chairs” needs a different grammatical construction; and “at th right side” contains an article/preposition problem. The sentence beginning “Especially by those customers” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. Review agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, and check that each recommendation is expressed as a complete, well-formed sentence.

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