Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-28

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 5.5)

Dear Mr.Smith,

I am writing this letter to inform you about the food . My name is Amandeep. Last week , I organised a all day meeting for my company in hall number 40 .

All the participants liked the hotel interior, sitting arrangement , lighting and service.

But most of them were not satisfied from your lunch because the lunch was not tasty . I earlier mentioned that do not make it spicy . But still it was too spicy and oily . Also, some of employees were complained that the deserts were not fresh.

Here, i am giving you a suggest from next time , please make a food according to instructions and bring the fresh food . The purpose of this letter not only for the complaint but also i want to make you aware about this.

I think you will take it positive.

Your faithfully ,

Aman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you identify positive features such as the hotel’s interior, seating arrangement, lighting and service; explain that the lunch was too spicy and oily despite your earlier request; and suggest following the instructions and serving fresh food. These details make the complaint relevant and understandable. However, the positive feedback and proposed improvements are brief, and the request to “make a food according to instructions” could be more specific—for example, asking the hotel to confirm dietary preferences and check food freshness before serving. The purpose is clear, but the opening could identify the meeting and feedback more directly, and the closing could use a more appropriate formal sign-off.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a generally sensible order: you introduce the meeting, describe what participants liked, explain their dissatisfaction, and offer a suggestion. The contrast signalled by “But” also helps distinguish the positive and negative feedback. However, the letter is presented as a sequence of short statements rather than clearly developed paragraphs, and some links between ideas feel abrupt. For instance, “Here, i am giving you a suggest from next time” does not connect smoothly to the complaint. Group the positive comments, food problems, and recommendations into separate paragraphs, and use clear transitions such as “However,” “In addition,” and “To prevent this in future.” This would make the progression easier to follow and reduce the impression of a list.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “participants,” “interior,” “spicy,” “oily,” and “fresh.” These words make the complaint understandable, and the range is appropriate to the situation. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “sitting arrangement,” “not satisfied from,” “a suggest,” and “take it positive.” “Food” and “lunch” are also repeated, while “deserts” appears to mean “desserts.” Aim for more precise, natural phrases used in formal complaints, such as “seating arrangements,” “dissatisfied with the meal,” and “take this feedback positively.” Checking spelling and common word partnerships would make your meaning clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your message is mostly understandable, and you attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including “I earlier mentioned that do not make it spicy.” However, control is uneven, with errors in articles, verb forms, sentence construction, and punctuation. For example, “I organised a all day meeting” needs an article and a hyphenated modifier, while “some of employees were complained” has an incorrect verb form and missing article. The sentence “The purpose of this letter not only for the complaint” is also incomplete. Practise forming complete clauses and checking subject–verb patterns; for example, write “Some employees complained that the desserts were not fresh.” More accurate sentence structures would make the letter smoother and more formal.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.