Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-28
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 5.5)
Dear sir,
I am writing this in regard of meeting we arranged in your hotel last week.I was a one day meeting booking along with lunch service.
Our experience was pleasant.Meeting room facilities were better.But my team wasn't expecting that your food service will be not into the mark.We believe in your management . But the food serves were awful.Its not only affecting your reputation but also mine.
We have spend a lot of funds to make this successful.Food quantity was less tast wasn't good.Even there was delay in delivery of food on the table, however we paid for everything.From the last many years we are arranging meetings here.This never happened before.
As you have the well renowned meeting halls.I recommend many of my business partners this.I want be able to do this in future such behaviour is intolerable.
I have a suggestion for you please in future do it more effectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully mention the positive aspects of the hotel, explain the issues with the food, and provide a suggestion for improvement. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For example, the suggestion to 'do it more effectively' is vague and lacks the specific detail required for a high-scoring response. To improve, ensure that your suggestions are concrete and actionable, such as proposing a change in catering staff or a review of the menu options. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint, although it occasionally veers into being overly blunt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, but the flow between sentences is often disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas logically. For instance, sentences like 'Food quantity was less tast wasn't good' are abrupt and lack connecting words to show the relationship between the ideas. Additionally, the paragraphing is inconsistent, with some ideas grouped together that would be better separated. To improve, use linking words such as 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' or 'in addition' to create a smoother progression of ideas and ensure each paragraph focuses on a single clear topic.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message, but it is quite basic and contains several errors in word choice and collocation. Phrases like 'not into the mark' (should be 'not up to the mark') and 'food serves were awful' (should be 'food served was awful') indicate a limited control of natural English expressions. There are also spelling errors such as 'tast' instead of 'taste'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise vocabulary related to business and hospitality, and pay closer attention to standard collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include missing articles ('I was a one day meeting'), incorrect verb tenses ('We have spend'), and punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after periods. The sentence 'I want be able to do this in future such behaviour is intolerable' is a run-on sentence that lacks proper conjunctions or punctuation. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will significantly improve the clarity and accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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