Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-30

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 Sir or Madam,

I am writing to propose some improvements in reception area that directly solves visitors complaints.

Several complaints have been made against the receptionist, particularly her behaviour with employees and visitors is suggested to be rude by numerous individuals. Moreover, The computers installed at reception are quite old. Hence they often shutdown during critical moments such as during entering visitor records in it.

Reception area is crucial to any company as it is the first impression of the company and also serves as the gateway to potential clients and contractors.

I would like to suggest replacing the current receptionist and the equipment installed in that area. which might solve the issues in the area.

Yours sincerely,

John conner.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the three requested points: you report complaints about the receptionist and outdated computers, explain that reception creates a first impression and connects the company with potential clients, and recommend replacing the receptionist and equipment. However, the response is under the required 150 words, and the ideas are therefore quite limited and under-developed. For example, you do not give specific examples of the receptionist’s behaviour or explain how the computer failures affect visitors. The proposed changes are also brief and do not explain how they would improve the experience. Develop each point with relevant detail, such as adding clearer visitor procedures or updating the booking system, to make the letter more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it opens with its purpose, presents the complaints, explains the importance of reception, and ends with recommendations. Paragraphing helps distinguish these functions, and connectors such as “Moreover” and “Hence” show relationships between ideas. Some cohesion is less effective, however. “Hence” makes the computer problem sound like a direct consequence of the previous complaint, although these are separate issues. The final recommendation is also very brief and does not connect each proposed change clearly to the complaint it addresses. Use transitions that signal addition or contrast accurately, and expand the final paragraph so the reader can follow the reasoning from problem to solution.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “receptionist,” “visitor records,” “potential clients,” and “contractors,” and the main message remains understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “I am writing to propose” and “is crucial.” However, some word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise: “improvements in reception area,” “complaints … against the receptionist,” and “shutdown” do not sound natural in these contexts. Capitalising “The” after “Moreover” is also inconsistent. Aim for more precise, natural combinations, such as “improvements to the reception area,” “complaints about the receptionist,” and “the computers often shut down.” This would make the letter sound more fluent and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and a more complex structure, as in “Reception area is crucial … as it is the first impression,” and the reader can generally understand your meaning. Some grammatical errors remain, including missing articles in “in reception area” and “Reception area,” and the sentence beginning “which might solve the issues” is incorrectly separated from the preceding sentence. The phrase “her behaviour with employees and visitors is suggested to be rude” also has an awkward passive construction that makes the meaning less direct. Try writing “Visitors and employees have described her behaviour as rude.” Check articles, sentence boundaries, and clause connections carefully; these changes would improve accuracy while preserving your ideas.

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