Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · 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 8.0)

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

Overall, the participants were very pleased with the hotel. They particularly liked the comfortable meeting room, the professional and friendly staff, and the clean and pleasant surroundings. The facilities were also well organised, which helped the meeting run smoothly.

However, there was considerable disappointment with the lunch that was provided. The main issue was the quality and variety of the food. Several participants found the dishes rather bland and poorly presented. In addition, there were very few vegetarian and healthy options, which caused difficulties for some attendees. As lunch was an important part of the event, this affected their overall impression of the hotel.

I would suggest reviewing the lunch menu and offering a wider selection of fresh, well-prepared dishes, including vegetarian and healthy choices. It may also be useful to ask clients about dietary requirements in advance.

I hope you will consider this feedback for future events.

Yours faithfully,

Jayraj Solanki

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly identify the positive aspects of the hotel, explain the specific issues regarding the food (blandness, presentation, and lack of variety), and provide constructive suggestions for improvement. The tone is professional and appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. You have successfully covered all requirements of the prompt in a balanced and logical manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is well-structured with a logical progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a single aspect of the task, which makes the information easy to follow. You use appropriate cohesive devices such as 'Overall,' 'However,' 'In addition,' and 'I would suggest,' which help to link your sentences and paragraphs smoothly. The use of paragraphing is effective, and the overall flow of the letter is natural and professional. There is no evidence of mechanical or repetitive linking.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a formal business context. Phrases such as 'considerable disappointment,' 'poorly presented,' and 'dietary requirements' show a level of precision and sophistication. The language is natural and fits the context of a formal complaint well. There are no noticeable errors in word choice or collocation, and the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey your message clearly and effectively throughout the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The grammar is highly accurate with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use a variety of grammatical forms, such as passive voice ('was provided,' 'was served') and conditional structures ('It may also be useful to...'), which are handled correctly. Punctuation is used accurately, and there are no errors that impede communication. The writing is fluent, and the control over sentence construction is consistent throughout the response, reflecting a high level of grammatical competence.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.