Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-21

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a resident of the Alperton, London area, writing to request you to reconsider your decision to close the sport and leisure centre we have in our community. I am hoping that you would weigh the utility of this centre before shutting it down.

As you know, we have more than 8 thousand members in our community and only two such leisure and sporting centres. When we are expecting another recreational centre for the benefit of the community members, the decision to shut down the 'Innercircle Sports & Leisure Centre' was some shocking news for us. I and my father go to this place to do our daily exercise. Besides, I have noticed many children play there in the evening and local people spend a significant amount of time there. Many teenagers have chosen this place to play some indoor games and spend quality time.

If this place is closed, people would feel dejected and I personally worry that the teenagers who use this centre would get involved in subversive activities. This is not at all accepted. If cutting the cost is the only reason to close this centre, I am sure there are alternatives. I have talked to several other members and all of them are against closing this place.

Please do reconsider your decision for the betterment of our community.

Yours faithfully,

Riya soni

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt effectively. You clearly explained your personal usage of the centre, highlighted its importance to the community, and articulated the potential negative consequences of its closure. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council, and your position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly more on the 'importance' aspect by mentioning specific community programs or health benefits, which would provide more depth to your argument. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Besides', 'If this place is closed', and 'In addition', to link your ideas. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. To improve, ensure that your referencing is always precise; for example, ensure that pronouns like 'this' clearly refer back to the intended noun to avoid any ambiguity.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'reconsider', 'utility', 'recreational', and 'subversive'. While the vocabulary is functional and clear, it is somewhat standard. To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common lexical items. For instance, instead of 'some shocking news', you could use 'deeply concerning news'. Additionally, ensure that your word choices are consistently natural; 'subversive activities' is a strong collocation, but ensure it fits the context of teenage behavior perfectly. Your spelling is generally accurate throughout the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences ('If this place is closed, people would feel...'). Your control of grammar is generally good, and your meaning is always clear. There are a few minor errors, such as 'I am a resident of the Alperton, London area' (the 'the' before Alperton is unnecessary) and 'I and my father' (which should be 'My father and I'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the writing from reaching the highest bands. Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve your score.

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

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