Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-05
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,
I hope you are doing well. I have received many complaints regarding the reception area of our company from visitors. Its quite dark and congested. Its sitting area is not managed properly. One of the most important underlying factors is that there is no one available at the reception desk to provide proper guidance.
Reception area is very important in maintaining the reputation of a company. It is the main place where people spend a lot of time during their visit. Poor management of this area badly affects the standard of company.
There are a lot of suggestions that could be helpful in improvement. One of the foremost important, It should be widened and ventilated. Its walls should be decorated with beautiful paintings. Hire a full time receptionist. Companie's achievement records and certificates should be displayed at many places. I hope you will look into my suggestions and try to follow them.
Yours sincerely,
X.Y.Z.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0
The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a suitable, respectful tone for writing to a manager. You identify specific complaints—darkness, congestion, an unmanaged seating area, and the lack of reception staff—and explain that the reception area affects the company’s reputation and visitors’ experience. Your suggestions, including improving ventilation, decorating the walls, hiring a receptionist, and displaying achievements, are relevant. To make the ideas more fully developed, explain how particular changes would address the complaints; for example, clarify how widening the area would ease congestion or how a receptionist would guide visitors. The importance of the reception area is also stated clearly, but could be supported with a more specific explanation of its role as visitors’ first impression of the company.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The letter has a clear overall arrangement: complaints are presented first, followed by the area’s importance and then recommendations. This progression makes the purpose easy to follow, and the opening and closing are appropriate. Some links between ideas are less smooth, however. The suggestions paragraph moves abruptly from widening and ventilation to paintings, staffing, and certificates, without grouping related improvements or explaining their connections. The phrase “One of the most important underlying factors” also introduces the staffing complaint somewhat awkwardly. To strengthen cohesion, use clearer transitions and organise the recommendations—for instance, separate physical changes from staffing and company information. A few references, such as “Its sitting area,” could also be made more precise.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the problem and propose changes, including “congested,” “proper guidance,” “reputation,” and “achievement records.” These choices communicate the main points, and the tone is generally appropriate for a workplace letter. Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “managed properly,” “foremost important,” and “helpful in improvement.” “The standard of company” is also an awkward way to express the effect on the organisation’s image. Aim for more natural collocations and precise wording, such as describing the seating area as “poorly maintained” or saying that changes would “improve the reception area.” Check spelling and word forms, including “Companie's,” to make the vocabulary more accurate and professional.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The letter includes both simple statements and some longer structures, and the meaning remains clear throughout. However, grammatical control is uneven, with errors in articles, sentence construction, agreement, and punctuation. For example, “Reception area is very important” needs an article, while “Its quite dark” requires an apostrophe in “It’s.” The recommendation “One of the foremost important, It should be widened and ventilated” is not a complete, well-formed sentence, and the capital letter after the comma is incorrect. “Companie's achievement records” also has an incorrect possessive form. Practise forming complete sentences and checking articles, apostrophes, and punctuation. More accurate control of these basic patterns would make the letter more polished.
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