Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-22

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/Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter, to share our feedback from recent event which took place at your hotel.

I really want to appreciate your efforts you put through to make this event successful. The hospitality and the customer service given by your attendants was phenomenal. Other than that, the place was neat and tidy i remember our employees were praising the standard of cleanliness. The decoration was also up to the mark, leaving a fantastic ambience for all.

However, the food options served at our event was not good as guaranteed. The appetizers were cold and meat items was not properly cooked. Coming up to the main course it felt like the curries are greasy and had to much spices in it, making it inedible for our guests.

In my perspective, before finalizing any event you should do a food taste with the organizers so that standard can be set at first place. You can also introduce the Chef in the meeting who can assist in alternative options.

I hope you will receive this letter in a positive manner and will fix the concerns raised.

Regards,

David

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly identified the positive aspects of the hotel, explained the specific issues with the food (cold appetizers, undercooked meat, and greasy, over-spiced curries), and provided constructive suggestions for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, ensuring the reader understands both the praise and the specific grievances. To reach a higher band, ensure that the opening and closing are fully integrated into the flow of the letter, as the current structure is slightly formulaic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the task. You use paragraphing effectively to separate the praise from the complaint and the suggestions. While the progression of ideas is clear, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic. Phrases like 'Other than that' and 'Coming up to' are functional but slightly informal. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases to connect your sentences more fluidly, such as 'Furthermore,' 'Consequently,' or 'In light of these issues.'

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'hospitality,' 'phenomenal,' 'ambience,' and 'inedible' effectively. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'do a food taste' (should be 'conduct a food tasting') and 'had to much spices' (should be 'too many spices'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from being considered 'flexible' or 'precise.' Focusing on more natural collocations will help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, subject-verb agreement issues are present: 'food options... was not good' (should be 'were not good') and 'meat items was' (should be 'were'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article errors, such as 'to share our feedback from recent event' (should be 'from the recent event'). While these errors do not cause confusion, they are frequent enough to limit the score to a 6.0.

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

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