Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing this letter to express my views on the sports and leisure centre.

The sports and leisure centre is the first priority of people in our area whenever they have spare time. I go to the gym in the centre. Me and my friend usually play badminton and volleyball on the weekends in the sports centre. Many old age people bring their grandkids to sports centre spend some time with them as it has swimming pool and many other kids activities.

The life is getting stressful day by day. For the relaxation of mind people need to have a place where they can distract themselves from the stress and this centre is open from the last seven years.

Closing this centre suddenly can create crisis among the public. People cannot spend their leisure time for some productive activities rather than they will be at home and this can be a result of overthinking which leads to the problems like depression.

Yours faithfully

Davinder Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt. You described how you use the centre (gym, badminton, volleyball), explained its importance for community well-being, and outlined the potential negative effects of closure, such as increased stress and depression. The ideas are relevant and clear. However, the development of these points is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, you could expand on the 'importance' aspect by mentioning specific community benefits, such as social cohesion or health outcomes, rather than focusing primarily on individual stress. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a council, and the purpose is clear from the beginning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the task. You use basic cohesive devices like 'whenever', 'as', and 'rather than' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally a bit mechanical, and the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition to this') to create a more sophisticated progression of ideas throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'productive activities', 'relaxation', and 'leisure time'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'create crisis among the public' (a 'crisis' is usually singular or requires an article, and 'cause a crisis' is a more natural collocation). You also use 'old age people', which is slightly unnatural; 'elderly people' or 'senior citizens' would be more appropriate. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Me and my friend' (should be 'My friend and I'), 'Many old age people' (should be 'Many elderly people'), and 'open from the last seven years' (should be 'has been open for the last seven years'). Additionally, 'rather than they will be at home' is syntactically awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions and verb tenses will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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