Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-14

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 5.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to raise my concern regarding dissatisfaction of visitors in the reception area. In the past few days, visitors usually raised several complaint regarding sitting arrangement, atmosphere and staff behaviours. I would therefore like to request some changes in reception area.

I would like to mention that reception is the main attraction for the customer. From their customer will judge company brandname and standard. If we do some modification as per customer demand if will increase our company profit. If ambience aura is positive it will increase teh market value of company.

I would be grateful if you replace old sofa to couch. Which give comfort to visitors who come from long journey. Furthermore, If reception full aroma it create positive magic. Moreover, we should keep happy, poilte and good listener staffs which create positive impact on customers.

I hope you like my ideas. Thank you for your time and consideration.

You faithfully,

Shruti

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you mention complaints about seating, atmosphere and staff behaviour, explain that visitors form an impression of the company, and suggest changes to furniture, ambience and staff conduct. This makes the letter relevant and gives the manager a clear general direction. However, some points are less fully developed than others. For example, the complaints are reported broadly, without explaining what visitors specifically disliked, and the suggestion to replace the sofa with a couch does not clearly explain how this would improve the seating. The importance of reception is also asserted rather than supported with a specific example. Develop each point with a concrete detail and make the requested changes precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it moves from the complaints, to the importance of reception, and then to proposed improvements. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “Moreover” make the suggestions easy to follow. This already shows some control of progression. However, the connections between ideas are occasionally mechanical, and some references are unclear—for instance, “From their customer will judge” does not clearly identify who “their” refers to. The sequence of suggestions in the third paragraph would also be stronger if each were linked to a specific complaint. Use clearer referencing and more purposeful transitions to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “reception area,” “visitors,” “atmosphere,” “comfort” and “positive impact,” so the main message can be understood. However, the range and control are limited, and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate. “Dissatisfaction of visitors” and “sitting arrangement” are less natural than standard expressions such as “visitors’ dissatisfaction” and “seating arrangements.” Phrases such as “full aroma,” “positive magic” and “brandname” are unclear or unsuitable in this formal letter. There are also spelling errors, including “teh” and “poilte.” Build a more precise set of formal phrases for complaints and recommendations, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including conditional sentences such as “If we do some modification … it will increase our company profit.” The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and punctuation are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. For example, “Which give comfort” is an incomplete sentence, while “If reception full aroma it create positive magic” lacks a complete grammatical structure and correct verb agreement. “Visitors usually raised several complaint” also has tense and plural problems. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and articles. Punctuating each recommendation as a complete sentence will improve accuracy.

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