Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-01
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,
I am writing to draw your attention to an event that took place last week on Sunday at your hotel. It was held on behalf of Timans Consultancy.
First and foremost, our staff liked the most about your hotel was the ambience. Moreover, we have some positive feedback about customer service and the overall experience during that day.
However, participants were not delighted by the food. The majority of people has complained that the food was cold while serving which was not expected by anyone. Especially, when each section has fulfilled their demands, they expected the same for the food sction. Consequently, they were disappointed at the end.
Lastly, I would highly recommend you to communicate with the kitchen staff about their negligence, and provide them with essential training sessions if needed. It would maintain the standards and the quality of food.
I appreciate your assistance and support during the event.
Yours faithfully,
Rutvi Patel
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You address all three points: you identify the hotel’s ambience and customer service as positives, explain that the lunch was cold, and recommend speaking with kitchen staff and providing training. The purpose and polite tone are clear. The explanation of dissatisfaction is relevant, but the comparison with other sections meeting participants’ demands is difficult to follow and does not explain the food problem as directly as it could. Your proposed action is sensible, though it focuses on staff negligence and training rather than practical steps such as keeping dishes warm or checking food before service. The response covers the task well overall, but some ideas need clearer development and more specific support to make the letter fully persuasive.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter has a clear overall progression: you introduce the event, describe positive feedback, explain the complaint, and make a recommendation before closing politely. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and transitions such as “However” and “Lastly” help signal shifts in purpose. The opening and closing are appropriate for a formal letter. Some linking is less effective: “Especially, when each section has fulfilled their demands” does not connect clearly to the preceding point, and “Consequently” then repeats the idea of disappointment without adding much. Aim for more direct links between the cold food, its effect on participants, and your suggested remedy. This would make the progression smoother while preserving the effective structure already in place.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range for a formal complaint, including “draw your attention,” “positive feedback,” “disappointed,” and “maintain the standards.” These choices communicate the main points and help establish a professional tone. There are also some inaccurate or awkward expressions: “liked the most about your hotel was the ambience” is not a natural construction, “food sction” contains a spelling error, and “communicate with the kitchen staff about their negligence” sounds accusatory and imprecise. “Food was cold while serving” is understandable but could be expressed more naturally. Work on collocations and precise, tactful wording, especially when describing a service problem. More natural phrasing would make your vocabulary sound more controlled and professional.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “the food that was served for lunch” and the conditional phrase “if needed.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the message is not impeded. Some grammatical errors are present, however. In “our staff liked the most about your hotel was the ambience,” the clause structure is incomplete; write, for example, “What our staff liked most about your hotel was the ambience.” In “The majority of people has complained,” the plural meaning calls for “have complained.” The sentence beginning “Especially, when…” is also a fragment, and “while serving” needs a clearer grammatical subject or construction. Check clause completeness and subject–verb agreement, while continuing to use varied sentence forms.
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