Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-09

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,

I am receiving numerous complaint from the visitor about the reception area there they are facing numerous problems. Firstly, the crouch quality is not good as the visitor is coming for some meeting with the Supervisor they have to wait for longert time by sitting in the crouch that is not comfortable. Secondly, there are various equipment for drinking water, making coffee it needed to be repaired as it is not working sometimes.

I would like to talk about the crucial role of waiting area that is the first image of company that is created by visitor while entering. By providing better space and renovating the reception area with new design such as on the right side there should be line of equipments that are currently not in an appropriate place.

Yours faithfully,

Anuj Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main points by describing uncomfortable seating and unreliable drink-making equipment, explaining that reception creates visitors’ first impression, and proposing renovation and a better equipment layout. However, the suggestions are brief and the final point is not fully clear: “on the right side there should be line of equipments” needs a more specific, practical explanation. The letter also ends without a clear request or closing statement to your manager. The response is 137 words, so it does not meet the 150-word minimum; this limits how fully you can explain the complaints and recommendations. Develop each point with a little more detail, such as replacing the seating and arranging repairs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a basic structure, moving from complaints to the importance of reception and then to an improvement idea. “Firstly” and “Secondly” help distinguish the two complaints, and the paragraphs broadly separate the main functions of the letter. However, progression becomes less clear in the second paragraph: the sentence beginning “By providing better space” combines the importance of reception with a recommendation, and the equipment-layout detail is difficult to follow. Some links between ideas are also missing, so the reader has to infer how the proposed changes address the complaints. Use separate paragraphs for each task point and connect each recommendation directly to the relevant problem.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “complaint,” “reception area,” “crucial role,” and “renovating.” However, the range is limited, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repeated, which can make the message harder to understand. For example, “crouch” appears to mean “couch,” while “first image of company” is not a natural way to describe visitors’ initial impression. “Numerous” is also repeated, and “equipment” is used awkwardly in “line of equipments.” Choose precise terms for the furniture and facilities, and use natural phrases such as “first impression” and “drinking-water and coffee facilities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentences, including “as the visitor is coming for some meeting with the Supervisor they have to wait,” but control is inconsistent and errors sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. There are problems with articles and agreement in “numerous complaint” and “the visitor,” and the clause “it needed to be repaired as it is not working sometimes” shifts tense and does not clearly agree with its subject. The sentence beginning “By providing better space” is also incomplete in structure, while punctuation between clauses is often missing. Practise building clear sentences with one main idea, checking singular and plural forms, articles, and consistent verb tense.

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