Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-04

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 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my gratitude for having our team at your hotel today. We booked your hotel from 10 am to 3 pm for our monthly meetings.

My team loved the ambience of your hotel and the service of the staff; it was exceptional. However, they did not like the quantity and quality of the food.

Based on what we paid for the arrangement of the meeting, the quantity of the food was very low. They did not feel full. Also, a few of our employees requested food allergens, which unfortunately were not taken care of well.

In order to achieve perfect customer satisfaction in terms of food, I would suggest that you increase the portion of food and give proper training to your employees about the preparation of food, as these mistakes can lead to serious health consequences and should not be neglected.

Yours sincerely,

Mohit Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly state what was liked (ambience and service), explain the dissatisfaction with the food (quantity and allergen handling), and provide constructive suggestions for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands the specific issues encountered. The letter maintains a consistent focus throughout, and the purpose is clear from the opening paragraph. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the specific nature of the allergen issue to add more depth to the complaint.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a distinct purpose, moving from the positive aspects to the complaints and finally to the suggestions. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Based on', and 'In order to' are used effectively to link ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the flow between sentences is smooth. The structure is clear and easy to follow, which is a hallmark of a well-organized response. The use of transition words helps the reader navigate the argument without confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message with precision. Phrases such as 'express my gratitude', 'ambience of your hotel', and 'customer satisfaction' are used correctly and appropriately for the formal context. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it lacks some of the more sophisticated or idiomatic collocations that would characterize a higher band score. However, there are no significant errors in word choice, and the language used is natural and fits the requirements of the task well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response displays a good control of grammatical structures. You use a mix of simple and complex sentences effectively, such as 'In order to achieve perfect customer satisfaction... I would suggest that you increase...'. Punctuation is generally accurate, and there are very few grammatical errors. The sentence construction is clear, and the meaning is never obscured. While the range of complex structures is somewhat limited, the accuracy is high, with most sentences being error-free. This level of control is consistent with a solid command of English grammar.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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