Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-20

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 recently organised an all day meeting for my company that took place at your hotel. It was a pleasurable experience apart from the fact that the participants disliked the food.

The participants were delighted by the whole experience in your hotel as it had an amazing atmosphere, great hospitality and professional room services as well. It helped the participants relax during the break and your staff was there to help whenever they were required. It was really crucial for the meeting for the staff to be available and they really did work tirelessly. I would like to appreciate that about the hotel.

However, the food that was server at lunch did not meet the expectations. Firstly, it was bland and one of my clients started to experience indigestion right after consuming it. It was pretty drastic and he rushed to the hospital nearby. Secondly, the food was served cold and it was not even served on time which we specifically mentioned because of the short break during the meeting. I think that really affected the performance of the participants as they were eagerly waiting for the food.

I would like to suggest you take to take a look at your kitchen staff and make sure they prepare fresh food along with maintaining the hygiene. It would upgrade your food and make it better so people could consume it without feeling the need to complain about it. Overall, the experience was amazing and if this part could be improved so that would be appreciated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points required for this General Training Task 1 letter. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint to a hotel manager, and a clear position is maintained throughout. The student successfully identifies what participants liked about the hotel, such as the atmosphere, hospitality, and room service. They clearly explain the unhappiness regarding the food, citing specific issues such as it being bland, cold, and served late, and even mentioning an unfortunate incident involving a client. Finally, a concrete suggestion is made for the manager to review the kitchen staff and improve hygiene and food preparation. All parts of the prompt are well-developed and supported with adequate details, satisfying the criteria for Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving smoothly from the opening context to the positive aspects, the complaints, and finally the suggestions. Paragraphing is used appropriately. Cohesive devices are employed effectively to connect ideas, such as 'However', 'Firstly', and 'Secondly', though referencing could occasionally be smoother. The overall arrangement is coherent and easy to follow, making it a solid performance that fits well within the Band 7 descriptor for cohesion and logical sequencing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision. Phrases such as 'pleasurable experience', 'amazing atmosphere', 'tirelessly', and 'indigestion' show an appropriate command of less common lexical items suitable for the context. There are a few minor vocabulary inaccuracies or awkward collocations, such as 'server at lunch' (instead of 'served') and 'suggest you take to take a look' (grammatical slip affecting lexical flow), but these do not impede communication. The lexical resource displayed is consistent with a Band 6.5 or 7.0, and a score of 6.5 accurately reflects the occasional awkwardness while acknowledging the good range attempted.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating the ability to handle subordinate clauses ('It was a pleasurable experience apart from the fact that...', 'which we specifically mentioned because of...'). There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, notably 'Dear sir' (should be capitalised and comma placed correctly in formal letters, or use the prompt's exact opening) and 'suggest you take to take a look'. Punctuation is generally sound, and despite the occasional slip, the majority of sentences are clear and do not impede communication. This performance aligns comfortably with the Band 6.5 criteria.

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

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