Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-08
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 5.5)
Dear Sir,
A big company in my area, has concluded plans to expend a given amount of money, either to sponsor our community children's sports team for two years or pay for two open air concerts. they asked for our opinion. this letter tend to explain the benefits of funding the sports team. Also the opportunities of paying for the concerts. In my opinion, I would suggest that the money should be used to rebuild our primary health care and our community primary school.
To start with, it is evident that sponsoring the local sports team will attract a lot of commendation from the public and the Government. It will also enhance the synergy between the company and the community.
However, the benefits of paying for concerts, will expose the community to other varieties of other opportunities. For instance, organizing a musical concert will bring out the talents of our younger ones.
On the other hand, I would suggest that the money should be invested in our dilapidated primary health care center. Also the community primary school . I think is one of the most significant project needed by the people, for the enlightenment of the younger ones.
I look forward to hearing form you.
Yours faithful
Agubo Stanley
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, but the final recommendation is problematic. While you were asked to choose between the sports team and the concerts, you introduced two entirely new options (a health center and a school). This is considered 'off-topic' regarding the specific choices provided by the company. To improve, you must select one of the two options presented in the prompt and justify your choice. The ideas regarding the sports team and concerts are relevant but remain somewhat underdeveloped. Ensure you stick strictly to the options provided to fully satisfy the task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To start with', 'However', and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. For example, the transition from the introduction to the body paragraphs could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, but the logical progression is hindered by the introduction of the new, unrequested options in the final section.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'sponsor', 'synergy', and 'dilapidated'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'expend a given amount of money' (instead of 'allocate funds') and 'hearing form you' (a spelling error). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise and natural collocations. The range is sufficient for the task, but lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for higher scores.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent errors in punctuation and grammar that occasionally distract the reader. For instance, there are unnecessary commas (e.g., 'company in my area, has'), issues with subject-verb agreement ('this letter tend to'), and sentence fragments ('Also the community primary school'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit your score. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with verb forms and sentence boundaries, to improve your control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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