Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-23

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 or Madam,

I am writing to provide feedback on the food served at my organization's recent event at your hotel.

Last Sunday, I booked your hotel from 9.00 am to 5.00 p.m. for an all-day business meeting, attended by a large group. Upon asking for feedback, they mentioned that the decoration was so picturesque and the staff was welcoming and friendly. In addition to this, the internet speed was also reliable throughout the event.

However, people complained that the food was so oily and spicy that it would affect their gut, and they felt immediate acidity and sleepiness after eating it. Moreover, some colleagues said that the food was not warm enough, as it was served on the tables well before the eating time.

To rectify this in the future, I would give you a suggestion that you serve healthy and nutritious food, for example, salads and sandwiches with coffee or tea, at such events so that people would stay active and feel energetic throughout the day.

I hope you would work

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student has successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You described what the participants liked about the hotel, such as the picturesque decoration, welcoming staff, and reliable internet speed. You explained why they were unhappy with the food, mentioning that it was excessively oily and spicy, causing acidity and sleepiness, and that it was served too early and became cold. Finally, you suggested improvements, recommending healthy and nutritious options like salads and sandwiches. However, the letter is cut off abruptly at the end with the sentence 'I hope you would work', failing to complete the closing sign-off properly. This slight truncation prevents a fully developed conclusion, which keeps the score at Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is generally coherent and follows a logical structure. It opens with an appropriate salutation and introduction, moves through the positive and negative feedback in separate paragraphs, and offers recommendations in a dedicated paragraph. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition to this', 'However', 'Moreover', and 'To rectify this in the future' are used effectively to guide the reader through your arguments and points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. The only drawback to cohesion is the abrupt ending, where the final sentence trails off without completion. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow, justifying a solid Band 7.0 for this criterion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for this task. Phrases such as 'all-day business meeting', 'picturesque', 'immediate acidity', and 'nutritious food' show a good attempt to use more precise language. There are minor unnatural collocations, such as 'affect their gut', which would more naturally be phrased as 'upset their stomachs' or 'cause digestive issues', but this does not impede communication. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate. To reach a higher band, incorporating more sophisticated phrasing and less common lexical items related to catering and hospitality would be beneficial. The vocabulary used successfully serves the communicative purpose of the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

Your writing displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional-like structure in 'so oily and spicy that it would affect their gut' and the relative clause in 'the food that was served'. You demonstrate good control over past and present tenses when recounting the event and giving suggestions. There are a few minor grammatical awkwardnesses, such as 'upon asking for feedback, they mentioned' (where a dangling modifier occurs, as the participants did not ask for the feedback) and the incomplete final sentence. Despite these minor issues, the majority of your sentences are clear and grammatically sound, ensuring that meaning is never obscured.

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

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