Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Mr Mehta,

I am writing you regarding the recent meeting held on December 22 in your hotel's Diamond Hall named 'Crescendo'.

It was a 150-member afternoon lunch seminar, and the decorations, seating arrangement, and sound system were all top-notch. Every member praised the arrangements your team made.

I was the one who was assigned to collect feedback from every member, and to my utter surprise, every member was not happy with the food quality served to us. Most of them complained that the salad served had rotten vegetables in it, and even the mocktails served were not properly sweetened and had a very smelly taste. Most of the curries served with the tortillas were also overcooked and had a bitter taste. This was a real turn-off for the seminar, as the members were there for around 4 hours and most of them left without having the food.

In the future, I would advise tasting and testing the food before serving it to the customers. Also, serve it in small portions on packed plates rather than serving it in bulk.

Hope you will consider my feedback and improve the quality of the food for future gatherings.

Yours sincerely,

Ram arora

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose. You identify what participants appreciated—“the decorations, seating arrangement, and sound system”—and explain their dissatisfaction with specific examples, including the spoiled salad and overcooked curries. You also offer practical steps: checking food before service and changing how it is served. These details extend the main points and make the complaint credible. To strengthen the response further, develop the proposed improvements more precisely: for example, recommend food-safety checks, a review of preparation standards, or asking the organiser about dietary preferences. The suggestion to use “packed plates” is not fully explained, so clarify how this would improve quality or service.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear progression: the purpose of the letter, positive feedback, the food complaint, and recommendations. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Also” and “In the future” help the reader follow the shift from problem to solution. The details within the complaint paragraph are grouped logically, moving from salad to drinks and curries before describing the effect on attendees. Some linking is a little basic, and the long complaint paragraph could be divided or more carefully signposted to make the examples easier to scan. The closing is appropriate, though a more formal transition into the recommendations would make the letter feel more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the venue and the food problems, including “seating arrangement,” “rotten vegetables,” “overcooked,” and “bitter taste.” These choices communicate the complaint clearly, while phrases such as “top-notch” and “real turn-off” show some flexibility. However, a few expressions are less suitable for a formal business letter or are imprecise: “smelly taste” is an awkward collocation, and “packed plates” does not clearly convey the intended serving method. “Every member” is also repeated several times. Aim for more precise, consistently formal wording, such as “attendees,” “unpleasant odour,” and “individually plated portions.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and many sentences are controlled, such as “Most of them complained that the salad served had rotten vegetables in it.” The past-tense account is generally consistent, and punctuation makes the examples understandable. A few grammatical choices remain inaccurate or awkward. In the opening, “I am writing you regarding” should be “I am writing to you regarding” or “I am writing regarding.” The phrase “a 150-member afternoon lunch seminar” is structurally unclear, and “every member was not happy” is an awkward negative construction; “none of the members was satisfied” would be clearer. Review sentence construction and article use to make the formal register more accurate.

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