Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-21

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/Madam,

I am writting to give you the participant's feedback, regarding hotel service and the food that was served for the lunch.

I recently organised a one-day meeting for my company at your hotel. Around 50 people attended that meeting in your hotel. They all admired the hotel's ambiance and unique architecture. Participants also appreciated the services and cleanliness of the hotel's rooms.

Although, most people complained about the food. We ordered Chinese and Italian cuisines. They complained that the food does not taste good. Moreover, the meat was not cooked properly and it tasted as if we are eating it raw. Furthermore, the pasta served had a tangy spoiled taste.

I would like to give formal suggestions to improve food in future. Please ask the head chef to keep a close eye on junior cooks and check their dishes regularly. Please try to use fresh vegetables to cook pasta so that it tastes good. I hope you will improve your food in future.

Yours faithfully,

John.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points clearly: it identifies what participants liked (“ambiance and unique architecture” and the rooms’ cleanliness), explains complaints about the meat and pasta, and offers practical suggestions involving supervision and fresh ingredients. The specific description that the meat seemed raw and the pasta had a spoiled taste gives the complaint useful support. The purpose and formal tone are clear throughout. To make the response more fully developed, explain more precisely how the hotel could prevent these problems—for example, by checking food quality and cooking temperatures before serving, or reviewing the menu with the organiser. The suggestions are relevant, but “improve your food in future” remains general rather than adding a distinct action.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence: the opening establishes the purpose, the next paragraph describes positive feedback, and later paragraphs cover complaints and recommendations. Paragraphing helps the reader follow the letter, and linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “Furthermore” make the food complaints easy to track. The organisation is coherent, but some connections feel mechanical: several sentences begin with additive transitions, and “Although” is used as a sentence opener without a contrasting main clause. The opening also combines the purpose and context in one long sentence. For stronger cohesion, vary how ideas are linked and use clearer references between the complaint and the proposed remedy.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for a formal complaint and includes some precise or less common choices, such as “ambiance,” “architecture,” “cuisines,” and “spoiled taste.” These help convey both the positive impressions and the seriousness of the food concerns. Meaning remains clear, although some word choices and collocations are not fully natural: “the participant's feedback” is awkward for feedback from a group, “food does not taste good” is vague, and “formal suggestions” is not the most idiomatic phrase here. There is also a spelling error in “writting.” Greater precision in describing the food and more natural complaint-letter phrasing would make the vocabulary more flexible and polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the contrast introduced by “Although” and the clause “as if we are eating it raw.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, and the paragraph-level structure is easy to follow. Some grammatical errors remain. “Although, most people complained” is not a complete contrast structure; use “However, most people complained” or join it to the preceding idea. The tense shifts in “the food does not taste good” and “as if we are eating it raw” are inconsistent with the past event, so “did not taste good” and “as if we were eating it raw” would fit better. There are also article and number issues in “for the lunch” and “the participant's feedback.” More consistent tense control would improve accuracy.

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