Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-14

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are well. I am writing to you regarding a recent meeting my company had at The Holiday Inn, Perth.

Firstly, I am glad to make you aware that the meeting participants thoroughly enjoyed some aspects of the hotel. The clean and modern facilities were well received as was the ample car parking that participants could avail of. Moreover, others advised they enjoyed the hotel decor and design.

Notably, it was also advised that the food served by the hotel was dissapointing and I wanted to make you aware of this. Many felt the variety of food options was limited, including a lack of hot food options as well as minimal vegetarian and vegan options.

Going forward, I hope you can take this feedback and use it positively to ensure you can improve your food options in the future and have a wider selection of foods available for lunch. Perhaps you can include more foods that are approriate for various dietary requirements, including vegetarian and vegan.

Please feel free to discuss this with me further if required.

Yours faithfully,

Niall

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points and maintains an appropriate, courteous purpose throughout. You identify specific features participants liked—“clean and modern facilities,” ample parking, and the hotel’s decor—and explain their dissatisfaction with limited choice, particularly hot, vegetarian, and vegan food. You also offer a relevant improvement by recommending a wider lunch selection and attention to dietary requirements. These ideas are clear and supported with useful detail. To make the response more fully developed, explain more specifically what was wrong with the food itself, such as its quality, temperature, or suitability, rather than focusing mainly on the range of options. The proposed action could also be more concrete, for example inviting the hotel to review its menu or consult future meeting organisers.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The information is organised in a clear sequence: you introduce the purpose, describe positive feedback, explain the complaint, and then suggest improvements. Separate paragraphs make each part easy to locate, and transitions such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “Going forward” guide the reader through the letter. The closing is also appropriate for a formal enquiry. Cohesion is generally effective, though some linking phrases feel slightly formulaic, and “Notably” does not add much to the transition into the complaint. You could make the progression more natural by linking the limited food variety directly to the suggested menu changes, and by varying or reducing signposting where the paragraph order already makes the relationship clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “thoroughly enjoyed,” “ample car parking,” “variety of food options,” and “dietary requirements.” These choices communicate the main points clearly, and some phrasing shows an attempt at a professional register. However, a few expressions are less natural or precise: “make you aware” is repeated, “avail of” is awkward in this context, and “foods that are appropriate” is vague. There are also spelling errors in “dissapointing” and “approriate.” Greater accuracy with spelling and more natural collocations would strengthen the letter. Aim for precise terms such as “menu selection,” “catering provision,” and “dietary needs,” while avoiding repetition of the same phrase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter includes a useful mix of simple and more complex structures, and many sentences are controlled, such as “Many felt the variety of food options was limited” and “Perhaps you can include more foods…” The sentence beginning “The clean and modern facilities…” also attempts a more complex construction with “as was.” Overall, grammar and punctuation support clear communication. A few structures could be made more direct and controlled: “I am glad to make you aware that…” is awkwardly constructed, while “it was also advised that…” uses an impersonal passive where a clearer subject would help. The long sentence listing food limitations could also be divided or structured more precisely. Continue using varied sentence forms, but prioritise natural, direct constructions.

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