Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-03

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 5.0)

Hi Sir,

I hope you are doing well actually I want to get your attention on something important regarding your hotel criteria. Before two days ago I organized a meeting in your hotel actually my participants I liked your hotel very much as they loved service in hotel like cleaning and other services but they did not liked the food of your hotel as they told me that food was not good at all as they ordered the lunch and they gave feedback for this that the food was not looked fresh first of all and another thing they ordered the spicy food but they got the tasteless food without any spices so I want to suggest something for future times please improve your food quality in your hotel and explain your staff that provide fresh and good food to customers which satisfy their needs.

Best

Saurav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points: the positive aspects of the hotel, the complaints regarding the food, and suggestions for improvement. However, the letter is under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the score. The ideas are presented but lack sufficient development to fully meet the requirements of the task. The tone is somewhat informal and inconsistent with a formal letter of complaint. To improve, you should expand on your points with more detail and ensure the letter meets the minimum word count requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks proper paragraphing, which is essential for a formal letter. It is written as a single block of text, making it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. There is a lack of cohesive devices; the sentences are linked primarily by 'and' or 'as', which makes the flow repetitive and mechanical. To improve, you should use clear paragraph breaks for each section of the letter (introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion) and incorporate a wider range of linking words such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in addition'.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'not good at all', 'not looked fresh', and 'tasteless food' are simplistic and lack the precision expected in a formal complaint. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'hotel criteria' instead of 'hotel facilities' or 'services'. The range is limited, and the expression of ideas is hindered by the lack of varied vocabulary. To achieve a higher score, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and precise adjectives to describe your experience and expectations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and sentence structure. For example, 'Before two days ago' is incorrect; 'two days ago' is sufficient. There are also errors in subject-verb agreement, such as 'they did not liked' instead of 'they did not like'. The sentences are often run-on, lacking proper punctuation, which makes the text difficult to read. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence structures, ensuring correct tense usage, and using commas and periods to separate your thoughts clearly.

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

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