Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-27

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 Sie or Madam,

I am writing the feedback regarding your hotel where I arranged one day meeting for my company.

To begin with, participants really liked the formal decoration for that event. It was subtle and pleasant which was perfect for that professional occasion. Moreover, a sitting arrangement was another things which was pleased by most of the participants, as it allowed all of them to watch a projector while having video presentation.

Nevertheless, they disliked the food service because it was served late than usual time, and it delayed our scheduled program. As a result, we were unable to finish our conference on time. In addition, the taste and quality of dishes were inferior, despite paying the high price of it.

I would like to give some suggestions to improve your catering service. Firstly, you should follow the event schedule and serve on time, so functions run smoothly without any hurdle. Furthermore, the quality of food should be improved, such as serving warm food, adding more spices to enhance their flavour.

I hope you will consider my recommendations and discuss with your kitchen staff to improve the catering service.

Yours faithfully,

Raj Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three points clearly: you describe the hotel’s “formal decoration” and seating arrangement, explain that lunch arrived late and was of poor taste and quality, and recommend timely service and better food. The consequences of the delay—disruption to the programme and not finishing on time—make the complaint relevant and supported. Your suggestions are practical, although the advice about improving flavour is less fully explained, and the letter could be more specific about what changes to the menu or preparation would help. The purpose and appropriately formal tone are clear throughout. To strengthen the response further, develop the food-related recommendations with one or two concrete examples, such as checking dishes before service or offering menu choices.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression from its purpose, to positive feedback, the complaint, and recommendations. Paragraphing supports this structure, and signposts such as “Moreover,” “Nevertheless,” and “Furthermore” help readers follow the shift between points. The cause-and-effect link between late service and the delayed programme is also easy to understand. Cohesion is generally effective, though some linking phrases feel formulaic, and the final paragraph repeats the aim of improving the catering service rather than adding a distinct closing point. A few references could be more precise—for example, “it” in “the high price of it” is not a natural or clear reference to the dishes. Use transitions selectively and make pronoun references explicit to make the flow more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for a formal complaint, including “professional occasion,” “scheduled program,” “inferior,” and “recommendations.” These choices communicate the main points, and the tone is mostly appropriate. There are also attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as “sitting arrangement” and “catering service,” but some collocations or word choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “formal decoration,” “served late than usual time,” and “without any hurdle.” “Subtle” may not clearly describe the hotel’s decoration in this context, while “spices” narrows the food recommendation unnecessarily. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer established phrases such as “elegant décor,” “served later than scheduled,” and “without disruption,” and choose wording that fits the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which was perfect for that professional occasion” and a reason clause explaining the seating arrangement. Most ideas remain understandable, and the sentence linking the late lunch to the delayed programme is clear. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “a sitting arrangement was another things,” the singular article conflicts with the plural noun; “which was pleased by most” also uses an incorrect construction. Other examples include “one day meeting” and “despite paying the high price of it,” where the noun phrase and clause structure need revision. Aim to check agreement, articles, and clause construction, for example: “The seating arrangement was another feature that pleased most participants.” More consistently accurate sentences would improve control.

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