Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-18

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,

With reference to our recent company event at your hotel, I wanted to share some feedback that we have collected from our participants, particularly what they liked and things that need attention.

Generally, our colleagues enjoyed the ambient atmosphere offered by your hotel and the seating arrangements were also managed quite appropriately. However, many of our members have raised a concern that the food served was not upto their expectations. It was served cold, probably because of the chilled air outlet directly above the serving table. Addtionally, some of the food items fell short and were not refilled adequately in time. This resulted in an overall disappointing experience for our members.

This can easily be improved by displacing the buffet table slightly farther from the air outlet. The quantity can also be managed by preparing for the estimated number of participants and properly timed servings.

I hope you will take this feedback positively and work on improving the overall experience of your guests.

Your faithfully,

A

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a polite, appropriate tone. You identify what participants liked—the hotel’s atmosphere and seating arrangements—and explain their dissatisfaction with specific causes: cold food and items not being replenished promptly. You also offer practical remedies, including moving the buffet away from the air outlet and planning quantities around attendance. These details make the response clear and relevant. To develop the ideas more fully, explain briefly how the hotel could ensure food stays warm or monitor replenishment during service. The closing request to improve guests’ experience is courteous, though a more direct request for the manager to review these suggestions would make the purpose even clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear progression: you introduce the feedback, describe both the positive and negative comments, suggest improvements, and close politely. Paragraphing supports this structure, and linking expressions such as “However,” “Additionally,” and “This resulted” help show contrast and cause and effect. The reader can follow the message without difficulty. To make the cohesion more polished, avoid relying on broad transitions where a more precise link would help; for example, connect the proposed changes directly to the problems of cold food and delayed refills. The opening sentence is also somewhat general, so a more focused transition into the participants’ positive comments could make the letter’s progression feel more purposeful.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “ambient atmosphere,” “seating arrangements,” “raised a concern,” and “disappointing experience.” These choices communicate the feedback clearly, and the tone is generally suitable. Some expressions are less natural or precise, however: “ambient atmosphere” is redundant, “fell short” does not specify what was lacking, and “managed by preparing” is an awkward collocation. There are also spelling and form issues in “upto” and “Addtionally.” Choose more direct, natural wording and check spelling carefully. For example, specify that food portions were insufficient and that staff should replenish dishes promptly; this would improve precision without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of sentence forms, including a complex opening with “With reference to…” and a cause-and-effect sentence beginning “This resulted in…”. Most sentences are understandable, and the conditional suggestion “This can easily be improved by…” is handled clearly. Some grammatical control is still uneven. In “the food served was not upto their expectations,” the possessive reference is unclear because the feedback is attributed to participants; “their expectations” could refer to the food or the participants’ expectations, so make the relationship explicit. The closing “Your faithfully” also has an agreement error; use “Yours faithfully.” Greater consistency in sentence construction and careful proofreading of the sign-off would strengthen accuracy.

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