Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-26

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,

I am writing this letter to thank for the hospitality of my staff at the hotel and also to express dissatisfaction regarding the food provided for lunch.

Team was extremely happy by the service provided at your hotel. The room was neat and tidy with all the necessary items stocked in the washroom. Moreover, network connection was pretty fast as we all had important zoom meetings to attend.

Unfortunately, everyone was unhappy about the lunch meal at the table. The food served was found improperly cooked or uncooked. In addition to that, one of my team member found a hair in the curry. Although we complained at the same time and remained vigilant for any foreign matter during our entire lunch time, but this was unexpected.

I would highly recommend to hire a experienced chef and a quality checker for the hotel and all the employees working in kitchen should wear proper hairnets and aprons.

Hoping that you will look into this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Karamjeet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly state what the participants liked (the room, the internet connection), explain the issues with the lunch (undercooked food, hygiene concerns), and provide constructive suggestions for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To reach a higher band, ensure that the development of ideas is slightly more nuanced; for example, you could briefly mention the impact the poor lunch had on the meeting's overall success to further strengthen the argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the positive feedback from the complaints and suggestions. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Unfortunately', and 'In addition to that' to link ideas. However, the transition in the third paragraph ('Although we complained... but this was unexpected') is grammatically redundant, as 'although' and 'but' should not be used in the same clause. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'hospitality', 'dissatisfaction', and 'vigilant'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'thank for the hospitality of my staff' (which implies the staff belongs to the hotel, whereas you likely meant the hotel's staff) and 'lunch meal at the table'. The phrase 'improperly cooked or uncooked' is clear, but could be more precise. Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly without difficulty.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'one of my team member' (should be 'members') and 'a experienced chef' (should be 'an'). The sentence 'Although we complained... but this was unexpected' contains a structural error due to the double conjunction. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage and subject-verb agreement, and practice using complex sentences without redundant conjunctions.

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

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