Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-13

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 6.5)

Dear Sir,

The purpose of writing this letter today is to highlight the complaints we have recieved so far regarding the reception area of our office and i would like to suggest few changes to overcome the complaints and acheive the most efficient outcome.

Over the past few months, my reception team has notified me about the unpleasant behaviour of Visitors coming in the reception. People have complained about the unusual smell, Lesser seating area and most concerning was the reception team is not interactive and helpful with the visitors, which could be a significant reason of visitors being rude and unpleasant.

The reception area of the office levaes a crucial impact on the visitors in the first glance about the company, The area must be well lit with interactive and customer servcie focussed staff and good vibe.

I would like to suggest, minor changes which can eliminate most of the complaints starting with the most beneficial. The "customer focussed service approach" to acheive this, we should provide a mandatory customer service training to all staff and do a follow up coaching once in a month to achieve the best standards.

Additionally, the smell in the reception area is from the kitchen which is beside the room. I was hoping if we can replace the exhaust system of the kitchen with teh advanced technology available in the market, I have researched for few which we can discuss later in person.

After carefull consideration off all the complaints and teams feedback, I have recommended you these must have changes to overcome the complaints. I hope you will consider my suggestions and I'll be more than happy to discuss in details moving forward.

Thank you,

Vishal Sharmma

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points: you report complaints about the smell, limited seating and staff helpfulness, explain that reception shapes visitors’ first impressions, and propose staff training and a kitchen exhaust upgrade. Your recommendations are relevant and include some supporting detail, such as monthly follow-up coaching and the source of the smell. The purpose and your position remain clear throughout. To make the ideas more fully developed, cover the seating complaint with a specific remedy and explain how the proposed changes would improve visitors’ experience. Also, the opening says visitors have behaved unpleasantly, while the complaint is that staff are not helpful; clarify who made each complaint so the situation is precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression from purpose, to complaints, to the importance of reception, and then to recommendations and a closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these functions, and signposts such as “Over the past few months,” “Additionally,” and “After careful consideration” guide the reader. The recommendations also follow a sensible order, beginning with staff service and then addressing the smell. Some links could be more precise: the transition from visitors’ behaviour to staff being unhelpful leaves the relationship between the two unclear, and the seating complaint is not carried through into the suggestions. Use clearer references and connect each proposed action directly to the corresponding complaint to make the progression more consistently effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of task-relevant expressions, including “first glance,” “customer service training,” “follow-up coaching,” and “exhaust system,” which help communicate the situation and proposed solutions. However, inaccurate spelling and word choice are noticeable and sometimes make the letter less polished: “recieved,” “acheive,” “leaves” (for “leaves” is misspelled as “levaes”), and “customer servcie” contain spelling errors, while “significant reason of” is an awkward collocation. Phrases such as “good vibe” are also informal for a letter to a manager. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural professional wording, for example, “a key factor in” rather than “a significant reason of,” and “welcoming atmosphere” rather than “good vibe.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including longer sentences with subordinate clauses, as in “I was hoping if we can replace the exhaust system…” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation recur. For example, “I would like to suggest few changes” needs an article, and “The area must be well lit …, The area…” joins two sentences with a comma and an unnecessary repeated subject. “I was hoping if we can replace” is not a well-formed indirect request; use “I was wondering whether we could replace…” Capitalisation after commas is also inconsistent. Build accuracy by checking articles and clause structure, and use full stops or semicolons to separate complete sentences. More consistently controlled complex sentences would strengthen the letter.

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