Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-07

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 Manager,

I am writing this letter to share my honest feedback about our experience at your hotel during our latest company meeting.

Undoubtedly, the interiors decor of the hotel was aesthetic, the seats were comfortable. The noise level was minimal, therefore we had not any difficulty to discuss our project with the members.

Nevertheless, some of our staff members were very dissatisfied with the food service as the food was cold and not presented well. Furthermore, the staff was not knowledgeable enough, thus, could not give any advice to us about which dish to choose from various alternatives available in the menu.

I would appreciate it if you can provide some training to the staff to improve your service in the future. Also, ki

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: the positive aspects of the hotel, the issues with the food, and suggestions for improvement. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The final suggestion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence, which prevents a full resolution of the task. To improve, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are fully developed and that you meet the minimum word count requirement to demonstrate your ability to expand on your ideas sufficiently.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and distinct paragraphs for each point. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Nevertheless', 'Furthermore', and 'thus' to link ideas. However, the abrupt ending disrupts the flow of the letter. To reach a higher band, ensure that your paragraphs are balanced in length and that your concluding remarks are fully articulated rather than left unfinished. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, but the lack of a proper sign-off also affects the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'aesthetic', 'minimal', and 'dissatisfied'. There are some minor collocation errors, such as 'interiors decor' (should be 'interior decor') and 'had not any difficulty to discuss' (should be 'had no difficulty discussing'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. Focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring that your word choices are grammatically accurate in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'had not any difficulty to discuss' and 'the staff was not knowledgeable enough, thus, could not give'. The punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the comma usage around 'thus'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of infinitive versus gerund forms after certain verbs.

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

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