Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-11

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,

With high esteem and prestige it is stated that i came to know through reliable resaources that local council is going to close sports and leisure club .

As it is basic need of local community me and my family are also taking advantages and benefits from this centre. It is direct source of physical fitness and mental health. Meanwhile 90 percent senior citizens of my area spend their evening at this centre. It is their best leisure activity.

It is only one centre in whole area. If local council decides to close this it would be a great trouble for the residents of this area.

It is kindly requested to you not to close this centre as it has become very beneficial for the people of your area. It is our basic right as well to have such centre around us . Thanks

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: how you use the centre, why it is important, and the effects of closure. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of development. The ideas are presented but lack sufficient elaboration to fully satisfy the task requirements. For instance, the explanation of how your family uses the centre is quite brief. To improve, you should expand on your personal experiences and provide more detailed consequences of the closure to ensure the letter is sufficiently developed and meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized, with a clear opening and closing. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire body of the letter is presented as a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. While there is some use of cohesive devices like 'Meanwhile' and 'If', the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. To reach a higher band, you should use clear paragraph breaks to separate the different points requested in the prompt and use a wider variety of linking words to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'taking advantages and benefits' are slightly redundant, and 'reliable resaources' contains a spelling error. The language is functional but does not demonstrate a wide range of vocabulary or the ability to use less common items effectively. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and ensure accurate spelling. For example, instead of 'basic need', you could use 'essential facility' or 'vital community hub'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('the local council', 'the sports and leisure club'), incorrect pronoun usage ('i' should be capitalized), and awkward phrasing ('With high esteem and prestige it is stated that'). The sentence structures are relatively simple, and there is a lack of complex grammatical forms. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and punctuation is noticeable. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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