Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-11

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 7.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing regarding an all-day meeting that I recently organized at your hotel on Sept 5.

The meeting itself was very successful. The participants were particularly impressed with your conference facilities. The meeting hall was very spacious, with good table and chair arrangements. It was well-equipped with modern audio-visual equipment, and the staff were extremely helpful and attentive throughout the day. The location and parking area was also convenient to everyone.

However, I am afraid the food which was served in lunch was rather disappointing. Several mentioned that there were less choices in vegetarian, and some complained the food that was served was cold. In addition, one mentioned that the salad was not fresh.

I would like to suggest that you could improve the catering for future corporate events. Perhaps you could offer a wider variety of dishes, including more vegetarian options, and ensure food you serve should be hot. It would also be helpful to have more staff during the lunch break to clear the plates promptly.

I look forward to using your hotel again in future, and hope that this matter can be addressed.

Your faithfully,

Daman Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identify the positive aspects of the hotel, explain the specific issues regarding the lunch service, and provide constructive suggestions for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint, and the purpose is clear from the outset. The ideas are well-developed and relevant to the context of a corporate event. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail in the suggestions, perhaps by proposing a specific solution like a pre-event menu tasting, which would further demonstrate your ability to extend ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which makes the text easy to follow. You use appropriate cohesive devices such as 'However', 'In addition', and 'Perhaps' to link your thoughts effectively. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall clarity of the message. To improve further, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, in the third paragraph, 'one mentioned' could be improved by specifying 'one participant mentioned' to ensure the subject is perfectly clear to the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary suitable for a formal business context, such as 'conference facilities', 'audio-visual equipment', and 'corporate events'. The language is generally precise and natural. There are a few minor issues, such as 'less choices in vegetarian' (should be 'fewer vegetarian options') and 'the food which was served in lunch' (should be 'served at lunch'). While these are minor, they prevent the vocabulary from being considered fully sophisticated. Increasing your use of more precise collocations would help elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The letter displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, and your control over punctuation is generally strong. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'The location and parking area was' (should be 'were' due to the plural subject) and 'ensure food you serve should be hot' (a slightly awkward construction; 'ensure that the food served is hot' would be more natural). Despite these occasional errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the grammar is sufficiently accurate for a high band score.

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

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