Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-03

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 sir,

i am writing to express my concerns regarding food items which you served when i went there for my business meeting with collegues. Although i loved their customer service and well furnished furniture along with peaceful environment, but i did not like their food which you served during midday meal. Moreover, when i ate first spoon of carrot pudding, it was neither hygenic nor fresh which spolied my whole mood because carrat pudding is my favourite dish and i heared a lot of people you served best dishes, however when i ate it, i worsed my whole mood. Therefore, i would to complaint their restaurant manager about unsatisfactoy service because it not only waste of my considerable money but also valuable time. So, i would take effective steps for unpleasent service that is why other people can not suffer from same issue. Moreover, i would recommend them to recruit either professional chef or give proper training their exiting staff.

I hope you would consider my perception and take an best solution as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Gagandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you praise the hotel’s customer service, furnishings and peaceful environment, explain that the carrot pudding seemed unhygienic and not fresh, and recommend hiring a professional chef or training existing staff. These details make the purpose clear and keep the letter relevant. However, the complaint is framed mainly as your personal experience (“when i ate”) rather than feedback from the meeting participants, and the reason for their dissatisfaction is not developed beyond the pudding. The proposed improvements are relevant but could be more specific—for example, checking food freshness and hygiene or collecting dietary preferences before the event. A clearer focus on the participants’ shared feedback and fuller explanation would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter follows a broadly understandable sequence: it introduces the concern, describes the positive aspects and food problem, then offers a recommendation and closes politely. Linking expressions such as “Although,” “Moreover” and “Therefore” help signal relationships between ideas. However, the response is presented as one dense paragraph, so the praise, complaint and suggestions are not clearly separated. Some links are also awkward or repetitive, and the shift from describing the meeting to saying “i would take effective steps” makes it unclear who is expected to act. Use separate paragraphs for the positive feedback, the food complaint and the recommendations, and make references to the hotel and its staff explicit to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “customer service,” “peaceful environment,” “professional chef” and “proper training.” These choices communicate the main points, and some less common expressions are attempted. However, several inaccurate or unnatural choices reduce precision: “well furnished furniture” is redundant, “worsed my whole mood” is not idiomatic, and “unsatisfactoy service” does not accurately describe the food complaint. There are also spelling errors such as “hygenic,” “collegues” and “exiting.” Aim for precise collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe the meal as “poor-quality” or “unsatisfactory” and say it “spoiled the experience.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession with “Although” and a reason clause with “because.” The overall message remains understandable, but control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “Although i loved …, but i did not like” uses two contrasting markers where one is needed, while “i would to complaint” has an incorrect verb pattern. Other issues include missing articles in “ate first spoon” and “take an best solution,” and unclear sentence construction in “that is why other people can not suffer.” Use shorter sentences when several ideas are being joined, and check verb patterns, articles and punctuation. This would make your meaning easier to follow while retaining some complex structures.

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

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