Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-04

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)

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing this letter to show my dissatisfaction regarding lunch that you served.

Last month, our company held an all-day meeting at five star hotel that is located to near our workplace. Eventhogh it is located in small area, but it's interior was fabulous, seating arrangements, hospitality of employee who were working their welcoming and well-behaved. Plenty of parking is available for visitors.

We reached at a hotel in morning, so they served a hot breakfast, that was a preety good. Thus, our expectation was high for our lunch, as we tired from meeting, because it should be finished by 1 PM. Due to some technical error that was continoued one hour longer. As a result of delay, lunch was served that was cold and on top they did not make a good amount of food that can served to all. Some of our employee did not get their food also.

I would like to suggest you that you have to prepare food freshly and enough quantity as well.

Thank you for you time and consideration.

Kind regards

Khushbu Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three points: it praises the hotel’s interior, seating, staff hospitality and parking, explains that lunch was cold and insufficient after the meeting ran late, and recommends preparing fresh food in adequate quantities. These details make the complaint relevant and understandable. However, some points are not fully developed: for example, you could explain more specifically what was appealing about the hotel or how the shortage affected participants. The recommendation is also brief and could be more actionable, such as suggesting that the hotel confirm numbers in advance and keep meals warm if the schedule changes. Overall, the task is covered, but the ideas are not equally developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall sequence: purpose, positive comments about the hotel, the lunch problem, and a proposed improvement. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “As a result” show the relationship between the delayed meeting and the cold lunch. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, however. “Thus, our expectation was high” does not smoothly lead into the explanation of the delay, and “Due to some technical error that was continued one hour longer” leaves the reader unsure what continued. The opening also calls the message an “email” before saying “letter.” Use clearer links and refer explicitly to the meeting’s delay to make the progression more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “seating arrangements,” “hospitality,” and “technical error.” These choices communicate the main points, and the positive description gives the letter some variety. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “located to near our workplace,” “a good amount of food,” and “their welcoming and well-behaved.” There are also spelling errors, including “Eventhogh,” “preety,” and “continoued,” which reduce the accuracy of the vocabulary. Aim for natural combinations such as “near our workplace,” “enough food,” and “welcoming and well-behaved staff,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including a cause-and-effect structure in “As a result of delay, lunch was served…” and a reason clause beginning “as we tired from meeting.” The message remains understandable, but some sentence structures are faulty and several grammatical errors recur. For example, “at five star hotel” needs an article, “it’s interior” uses the wrong form, and “employee who were working” has an agreement problem. The sentence beginning “Eventhogh” also combines clauses awkwardly, while “food that can served to all” is missing a verb form. Practise articles, subject–verb agreement, and complete clause construction, then check punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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