Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-09
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
Write a letter to the local council. In your letter
- give details of how you and your friends or family use the centre
- explain why the sports and leisure centre is important for the local community
- describe the possible effects on local people if the centre closes
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 concern regarding the decision on closing the sports and leisure center.
As you know that the centre has been here for almost 10 years now. It has become a great place for local residents. My friends and I go there often for playing any sports activities or get together . My brother has a art class during the weekends , where he learned more about wall paints, colour plains and aestatic art forms. In additions, my mom and dad a social club there before , which made them more sociable than before. I believe , Every one in the community are extremely condentment with the centre. And this is the only place in the city where people can have meaningful conversations with their neighbours. If the centre has closed, this would detrimentally affect the local residents .Especially , they become lonely without spending time with their friends. Students who depends various classes there might end up being sad and stressed .This can make create anxiety too.
I would request you to take any proactive measures to solve this issue as soon as possible.
yours faithfully ,
kee
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly explain how you and your family use the centre, why it is important for the community, and the potential negative effects of its closure. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the description of the brother's art class and the parents' social club could be more detailed to fully flesh out the importance of the facility. The position is clear throughout, and the purpose of the letter is well-defined, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is generally coherent, and the progression of ideas is logical. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In additions' (though this is grammatically incorrect) and 'If the centre has closed'. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire body of the letter is presented as one block of text, which hinders the visual structure of a formal letter. Additionally, some transitions between sentences feel slightly mechanical or abrupt. Improving the use of linking words and separating the letter into distinct paragraphs for each bullet point would significantly enhance the flow and readability.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'proactive measures', 'detrimentally affect', and 'meaningful conversations'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and non-standard collocations, such as 'condentment' (likely meant 'contentment'), 'colour plains' (unclear meaning), and 'aestatic' (spelling error). These errors occasionally cause slight confusion for the reader, though they do not prevent the message from being understood. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology and ensuring correct spelling of descriptive adjectives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Every one in the community are', 'Students who depends'), incorrect verb tenses ('If the centre has closed'), and punctuation errors (spaces before commas, missing articles). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. You should focus on proofreading for basic agreement rules and ensuring that verb tenses are used consistently throughout your writing to improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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