Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-24

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 or Madam,

I am writing to you today regarding the sports and leisure centre. Me and my family are regular users of the centre. It is very important that this center remains open, as it a good place for local people to meet each other and spend time together. It is also a good way for people to let the steam off by practising their favourite sport after a hardworking day. If the centre closes, the local people will just lose one of the most important places where they can connect to others. They will feel more lonely and will probably end up being isolated at home. It is a place where everyone can share good memories, no matter their age. In this centre, you can find whatever you are looking for, no matter your tastes: you can play board games, bowling, you can watch a movie, you can go for a swim... We beg you to take our advice into consideration, and keep the centre open for everyone to enjoy it. Thank you very much. Kind regards.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points and maintains a clear request for the council to keep the centre open. You explain how your family uses it and describe its community role, noting that people of different ages can meet and share memories. You also identify plausible consequences of closure, including loneliness and isolation. These relevant ideas are extended with examples such as swimming, bowling and watching a movie, so the purpose is clear. However, the account of how you and your family personally use the centre remains general: the activities are listed as things people can do, rather than specifying which ones your family enjoys or how often you visit. A little more personal detail and support for the effects of closure would make the response more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The ideas follow a sensible overall sequence: you introduce the issue, explain the centre’s value, describe possible consequences of closure, and make a final appeal. Linking phrases such as “If the centre closes” and “It is also” help the reader follow the argument. However, the response is presented as one continuous paragraph, so the different purposes of the letter are not visually separated. Some connections are also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “It is” and “It is a place.” Grouping your personal use, community benefits and closure effects into distinct paragraphs, and varying the links between ideas, would make the progression clearer and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use adequate vocabulary to communicate the topic, including “local community,” “isolated,” “practising their favourite sport” and “share good memories.” The range is sufficient to explain the centre’s social and recreational value, and the meaning remains clear. Some choices are informal or imprecise for a letter to the council: “let the steam off” is not the natural expression here, and “whatever you are looking for” is broad and conversational. “Hardworking day” is also an awkward collocation. The repeated use of “good” and “place” limits precision. Choosing more formal, specific expressions for the centre’s benefits and describing activities with accurate collocations would strengthen the vocabulary while preserving the warm tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and several sentences are clear and accurate, such as “If the centre closes, the local people will just lose one of the most important places where they can connect to others.” The conditional structure is used effectively, and punctuation generally supports meaning. Some grammatical errors remain, including “Me and my family are regular users,” where the subject pronoun should be “My family and I,” and “as it a good place,” which is missing the verb “is.” The long activity list also needs clearer parallel structure and punctuation. These errors do not prevent understanding, but proofreading for complete verb phrases, formal subject forms and sentence boundaries would improve control.

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