Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-12
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 5.5)
Dear Sir,
I am writing this letter to let you know my take on the sponsorship offered by your company.It gave us choice to choose between either the local children’s sports team for two years or for two open air concert’s finances.I would personally acknowledge the idea of financing a local children’s sports team for two years over the option of concerts. I believe ,many local children will get the opportunity to play the sports they love.They will get a chance to improve their game and skills.Moreover, some of them with extraordinary talent might get the chance to play for the national team.In my perspective, this sponsorship will open the doors of possibility for many talented players to get recognition at national level.
Although I am not against entertainment, concert can be very exciting and thrilling but the whole experience lasts for a while with no considerable benefits in the long run.
Therefore, I would suggest your company to finance the local children’s spots team for two years rather than the concert that
will last only two days without considerable impact on the local society.
Thank you
Regards xyz
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You give a clear preference for sponsoring the children’s team and explain relevant benefits, including opportunities to develop skills and the possibility of talented players reaching the national team. You also mention that concerts provide excitement, so the main options are addressed. However, the concert benefits are only briefly acknowledged and then dismissed; the task asks you to summarise their benefits, such as bringing residents together or providing accessible entertainment. The sports-team benefits could also be developed with a more direct explanation of how the company or community would benefit. A fuller, more balanced treatment of both options would make the response more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The letter follows a generally understandable order: you introduce the choice, explain your preferred option, briefly consider concerts, and conclude with a recommendation. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Although,” and “Therefore” help show the relationships between ideas. However, most of the content is placed in one long paragraph, which makes the progression less easy to follow. The contrast between the two options is also quite abrupt, and the final recommendation repeats the earlier preference rather than adding a distinct concluding point. Use separate paragraphs for the introduction, each option, and the recommendation, and connect the concert benefits more smoothly to your comparison.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “sponsorship,” “extraordinary talent,” “recognition,” and “considerable benefits.” These choices help communicate your view, and the reader can understand the main message. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the sponsorship offered,” “concert’s finances,” and “open the doors of possibility.” There are also spelling and word-choice slips, including “spots team” and “concert” where the plural is needed. Aim for more precise, natural collocations and check spelling and apostrophes. This would make your vocabulary more reliable and appropriate for a formal letter.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex structures, including “Although I am not against entertainment…” and the sentence explaining how sponsorship could help talented players. The main ideas remain understandable, but errors in sentence boundaries and punctuation occur throughout. For example, “your company.It gave us choice” needs a space and clearer sentence construction, while “I believe ,many local children” has misplaced punctuation. There are also issues with articles and number, as in “gave us choice” and “concert can be very exciting.” Improve control of sentence boundaries, articles, and singular/plural forms, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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