Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-03

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to lodge my complaint about the food served for lunch on last Sunday. I booked the Thomas hall last week for our company’s annual meeting after being told about your outstanding customer service. The participants loved the hospitality and amenities such as parking spots, welcome drinks and arrangement in meeting hall organised by your staff.

Firstly, we ordered catering service for 150 guests. As we discussed before, the lunch included two vegetarian curries and two meat curries in main course. Several participants informed about lack of quantity for the vegetarian spinach curry. Our guets were from Indian origin and followed vegeterian diet. The situtation forced them to return back from lunch hall with emply stomach. Secondly, the food was not warm enough to eat. Last but not the least, after requesting for additional vegetarian curry, the delivery took too long and majority of our guests were already done eating.

Furthermore, I would like you to investigate this matter. For the inconvenience we had, I would like you to compliment us with 20% discount on total bill. Should you require any more details and photos, I am happy to assist you further.

I look forward to hearing back.

Yours sincerely,

Ryan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task. You clearly identified what the participants liked (hospitality and amenities), explained the issues with the food (lack of quantity and temperature), and provided a constructive suggestion for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the context of a company meeting. To reach a higher band, ensure that your suggestions for improvement are slightly more detailed, perhaps by proposing a specific meeting with the catering team or a review of their service protocols, rather than just asking for a discount.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader through your points. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different aspects of your complaint. However, some transitions could be smoother; for example, the jump from the food issues to the request for a discount is a bit abrupt. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'lodge my complaint', 'outstanding customer service', and 'investigate this matter' are appropriate for a formal context. There are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'guets' instead of 'guests', 'vegeterian' instead of 'vegetarian', and 'situtation' instead of 'situation'. Additionally, 'compliment us with 20% discount' is slightly unnatural; 'compensate us with a 20% discount' would be more precise. These errors do not impede communication but prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'on last Sunday' (should be 'last Sunday'), 'return back' (redundant), and 'majority of our guests were already done eating' (slightly informal). Punctuation is generally accurate, though there are minor issues with article usage. While you attempt complex sentences, the frequency of these minor errors suggests that your control over more complex structures is not yet consistent. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and avoiding redundant phrasing will help improve your accuracy.

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