Band 8.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-07-27

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently organised an all-day meeting for your company, which took place in a local hotel. In their feedback, participants at the meeting said that they liked the hotel, but they were unhappy about the food that was served for lunch.

Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter

• say what the participants liked about the hotel
• explain why they were unhappy about the food
• suggest what the manager should do to improve the food in future

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 8.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to give you some feedback about the all-day meeting that my company recently held at your hotel.

First of all, I would like to say that the participants were very pleased with the hotel. The meeting room was clean, comfortable, and well equipped. The staff were friendly and helpful throughout the day. We also appreciated the convenient location and the good parking facilities.

However, many participants were disappointed with the lunch that was served. The food was cold when it arrived, and there were only a few dishes to choose from. Some people were vegetarians, but there were not enough vegetarian options. In addition, the dessert was not fresh, and the service was quite slow.

I would like to suggest that you improve the quality and variety of the food. It would also be helpful to include vegetarian and other special meal options. Finally, serving the food hot and providing quicker service would make a much better impression on future guests.

I hope you will consider these suggestions and improve your catering service.

Yours faithfully,

Fardin Vahora

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identified the positive aspects of the hotel, such as the meeting room facilities and staff, and provided specific reasons for the dissatisfaction regarding the lunch, including temperature, variety, and dietary requirements. Your suggestions for improvement are practical and directly address the issues raised. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter, and the purpose of the communication is clear from the outset. You have successfully covered all requirements of the task in a well-developed manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the information easy to follow. You have used appropriate cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'However', 'In addition', and 'Finally' to link your sentences and paragraphs effectively. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall clarity of the message. The flow of the letter is natural, and the transition between the positive feedback and the complaints is handled smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message with precision. Phrases like 'well equipped', 'convenient location', and 'catering service' are used accurately and appropriately for the context. While the vocabulary is functional and clear, it is generally standard. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items to add variety. However, the current range is more than adequate for the task, and there are no errors in word choice or spelling that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.5

Your writing demonstrates a good command of grammatical structures. You have used a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively, such as 'The meeting room was clean, comfortable, and well equipped' and 'It would also be helpful to include vegetarian and other special meal options.' The punctuation is accurate throughout, and there are no significant grammatical errors. The sentences are error-free, and the control over verb tenses and sentence construction is consistent. This reflects a high level of accuracy and a solid grasp of English grammar.

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