Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-03
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 or madam,
I am writing this letter on behalf of all the community, who is going to get effected on the decision taking by the council to close the recreational centre at our neighborhood.
As you know the majority of the population that lives here is above 50 years old and has many retired personals. I and my friends use this centre on every weekend for social and physical activities. We have build a strong social bonding at this centre and for many of us it also supports our healthy life. For children this centre acts as a leisure place, they enjoy the swimming pool, play gardens and other activities. Closing this place would be a disaster for the entire community. We see this place as our community home.
From the entire community, we request you to reconsider the decision and
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses the main parts of the task, including how the community uses the centre, its importance, and the effects of its closure. However, some ideas remain limited and under-developed, such as the brief mention of children's activities which lacks elaboration. Furthermore, the response falls short of the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 143 words. This prevents the ideas from being fully extended and keeps the overall task fulfilment at a partial level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The letter displays some basic organization with a standard opening and paragraph breaks, but there is a lack of clear overall progression between the ideas. Cohesive devices are somewhat repetitive or basic, relying on simple connectors, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous transitions between the demographic description and the personal activities of the writer. The abrupt ending further disrupts the logical flow and cohesion of the letter.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate the core message. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'effected' instead of 'affected', 'taking' instead of 'taken', 'personals' instead of 'personnel' or 'people', and 'play gardens' instead of 'play areas' or 'playgrounds'. These inaccuracies cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent access to a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside some faulty attempts at complex ones, such as 'all the community, who is going to get effected'. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including subject-verb agreement ('community, who is'), preposition use ('on our neighborhood', 'on every weekend'), and irregular verb forms ('have build'). These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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