Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

A large company in your area has decided to spend a certain amount of money, either to sponsor a local children's sports team for two years, or to pay for two open-air concerts. It has asked for feedback from the general public.

Write a letter to the company. In your letter

• describe the benefits of sponsoring the sports team
• summarise the benefits of paying for the concerts
• say how you think the company should spend the money

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to give you the feedback on whether you should sponsor a children's sports team for two years or to pay for two open-air concerts.

Childrens are important role for our future but the consult is needed to help children use their time wisely. Sponsoring a sports team will help childrens encourage their sports and improve their endurance, but a better coach is needed to improve their training and increase their strength. On the other hand, paying for open-air concerts will help people reduce their stress and make their holidays enjoyable. I think if possible a company should spend in both the sports team and concert. I shall be grateful to you. I will forward for your response.

Yours sincerely,

X-Y-Z

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the main choice and mention relevant benefits: team sponsorship could support children’s sports and fitness, while concerts could help people relax and enjoy holidays. However, the benefits are only briefly stated, and the recommendation to spend on both does not clearly choose between the two options presented. The letter also lacks a developed explanation of how either option would benefit the company or local community. Most importantly, the response contains 114 words, below the required minimum of 150; the 14 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Add specific supporting details and make a clear, justified recommendation to address all parts more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable letter structure, with an opening, discussion of the two options, a recommendation, and a closing. The contrast marker “On the other hand” helps signal the move from sports sponsorship to concerts. However, the ideas are compressed into one paragraph, so the letter has little visible progression, and the recommendation follows without a clear comparison of the options. Some links are also difficult to follow, particularly “but the consult is needed,” which does not clearly connect to the point about children. Use separate paragraphs for the two options and your recommendation, and connect each idea with clear, accurate transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “sponsoring,” “endurance,” “training,” and “open-air concerts,” and the reader can generally understand the intended message. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which sometimes makes meaning unclear. For example, “Childrens” is not the correct plural, “the consult” does not express the intended idea, and “spend in both” is an unsuitable collocation. “Improve their endurance” is relevant, but the benefits could be described more precisely with terms such as participation, community engagement, or public enjoyment. Aim for accurate, natural phrases rather than repeating broad words such as “help” and “improve.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few longer sentence forms, including “I think if possible a company should spend…” and the contrast between the two options, but most structures are simple and errors occur frequently. In “I am writing this letter to give you the feedback,” the article use is inaccurate; “children are important role” has a missing verb and an incorrect sentence pattern; and “a company should spend in both” uses an incorrect preposition within the verb pattern. The final sentences, “I shall be grateful to you. I will forward for your response,” are also not formed naturally. Practise accurate subject–verb patterns, articles, and verb-plus-preposition combinations, then check each sentence for a complete, clear structure.

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

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