Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-25

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 5.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction regarding the coffee table I bought on 23rd July from your purchasement. It is dark brown in colour with golden borders. It has a glass top.

Unfortunately, it has a wobbling leg, and it is unstable. Therefore, it is unsafe to use. I tried to fix the problem, but it requires a carpenter to amend it. Moreover, the glass top is covered with multiple scratches.

I would suggest a full refund for it. Another possibility is to replace it with a new one. If the item is replaced, I want to ensure the table's condition before bringing it to home to avoid any inconvenience.

I look forward to your response and a swift resolution to this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Jasreen Sandhu.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response is completely off-topic. The task instructions required a letter to the local council regarding the closure of a sports and leisure centre, including details on usage, importance to the community, and the effects of closure. Instead, you wrote a letter of complaint about a faulty coffee table. Because you failed to address any of the bullet points or the core topic of the prompt, the task achievement is severely compromised. Furthermore, the response is 18 words under the 150-word minimum, which further impacts the score. To improve, ensure you carefully read the prompt and plan your response to cover all required points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is logically organized as a formal complaint, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs detailing the issue, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'Moreover', and 'Another possibility', which help the flow of ideas. However, because the content is entirely irrelevant to the task, the overall coherence in relation to the prompt is non-existent. Within the context of the text provided, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is clear, but this does not compensate for the failure to address the actual task requirements.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for a formal letter, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'unstable', 'inconvenience', and 'resolution'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'purchasement' (which is not standard English; 'purchase' or 'order' would be better) and 'bringing it to home' (should be 'bringing it home'). While the vocabulary is generally functional and appropriate for a complaint letter, the lack of relevance to the specific task prompt limits the range of topic-specific vocabulary that could have been demonstrated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I tried to fix the problem, but it requires a carpenter to amend it.' There are some grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing to express my dissatisfaction regarding the coffee table I bought on 23rd July from your purchasement.' The word 'purchasement' is incorrect. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the tone is appropriately formal. The grammar is sufficient to communicate your message clearly, but the range of structures is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors that prevent a higher score.

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

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