Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-07-27

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 8.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my feedback to the proposal of how this sponsorship should be utilized.

Firstly, the community is really in need to invest some of the funding to buy some safety guards and sports equipment. In addition to that, the community has an outstanding soccer team. It did competed at state level last year and won too, but the funding issues prevented them from going to national level; which left the both the players and the majority of residents with high disappointment.

On the other hand, the major benefit of concert nights would be fun for youth. Not only the concert would surely bring the people of the community closer, it would reward them with a memories of lifetime. It would be a little escape from the hectic and stressful routine. The night would help local businesses too.

In my personal opinion, the local community would really appreciate the support towards the sports team as they are capable to compete at national level teams with proper equipment and advanced coaching. Concert would attract only certain age group, whereas the sports team would give chance the whole locality come together with an opportunity to write and shine their name globally, influencing the next generation to invest their time in outdoor sports.

I feel the sponsorship should be used to solve a problem first, over a temporary joy. I hope you will use your best and practical judgement for this decision.

Yours faithfully,

Jay Suthar

Unit 1101, Building 32A

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt effectively. You clearly described the benefits of the sports team sponsorship and the concert proposal, and you provided a well-reasoned argument for why the company should choose the sports team. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter, and your position is consistent throughout the text. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the argument regarding the long-term impact of supporting the sports team versus the temporary nature of the concerts. You have successfully fulfilled all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition to that', 'On the other hand', and 'In my personal opinion' to guide the reader through your argument. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different points. While some transitions are slightly mechanical, the overall flow is smooth and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. The use of referencing is generally clear, ensuring that the reader understands the connection between the proposed options and your final recommendation.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using phrases like 'hectic and stressful routine', 'outstanding soccer team', and 'practical judgement'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'give chance the whole locality come together' (should be 'give the whole locality a chance to come together') and 'reward them with a memories of lifetime' (should be 'memories of a lifetime'). However, these errors do not impede communication. You show an ability to use less common vocabulary, which helps to convey your message with precision and appropriate tone for a formal request.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'It did competed' (should be 'It competed') and 'the both the players' (should be 'both the players'). Additionally, there are minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are clear and error-free. Your control of punctuation is generally good, and the errors present do not cause any difficulty for the reader. You have successfully used a variety of structures to express your opinions and arguments.

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