Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-12
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 or Madam,
I am writing this email to inform you that what I agree to utilize money on children's team sport.
Firstly, while spending money on sports time will enhance the company's image as well as it will contribute to nations growth, others also think that spending on building open air concerts.
Apart from this, concerts also assist company to attract huge number of individuals who will recognize the company and started prefer to buy their products will enhance their profits.
Finally, I would like if company use their money buy purchasing equipment for the team as well provide them proper training which improve their productivity. If children learn the game and participate in a national level, they will enhance the state name nationally.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Kind Regards,
Smith.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses all three bullet points, but the development is limited due to the length being under the 150-word requirement. The ideas regarding the sports team and the concerts are mentioned, but they lack sufficient elaboration to fully satisfy the task. The position is clear, but the brevity prevents a more thorough exploration of the benefits. To improve, you should expand on your reasoning for each point, providing specific examples of how the company would benefit from these investments. The word count penalty is applied here as the response is 14 words short of the minimum requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate, such as the transition 'Apart from this' which does not flow naturally from the previous paragraph. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the connection between the concerts and the company's profits is abrupt. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the logical flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'spending money' and 'enhance the company's image'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'nations growth' (should be 'national growth') and 'started prefer to buy' (grammatically incorrect). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary related to business and community investment, such as 'corporate social responsibility', 'brand visibility', or 'long-term investment'. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you avoid repetitive language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'what I agree to utilize money on' (incorrect structure), 'others also think that spending on building open air concerts' (incomplete sentence), and 'if company use their money buy purchasing' (missing articles and incorrect verb form). While you attempt some complex structures, they are often faulty. You need to focus on basic sentence construction, specifically subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and ensuring that your sentences are complete and grammatically sound before attempting more complex forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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