Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-22
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 / Madam,
I am writing to thank you for hosting our company's annual sales conference at your hotel last month, and to share some feedback on our experience.
The event was held in your Grand Ballroom on the 14th of June and was attended by around 120 employees from our regional offices. It included a full day of presentations, a panel discussion, and an awards dinner in the evening. The conference required audio-visual equipment, a stage setup, and catering for both lunch and dinner, all of which your team arranged efficiently.
I would particularly like to commend your staff for their professionalism and attentiveness throughout the day. The banquet team was quick to respond to last-minute requests, such as rearranging seating and adjusting the room temperature, and this made a real difference to how smoothly the event ran. I was also impressed by the quality of the food served at dinner, which received many compliments from our guests, as well as the elegant décor of the ballroom, which created an excellent atmosphere for our awards ceremony.
That said, I would like to suggest a few areas where improvements could be made for future events. Firstly, the Wi-Fi connection
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 1.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0
The response is completely off-topic. The task instructions specifically requested a letter to a company regarding the choice between sponsoring a sports team or paying for open-air concerts. Instead, the student has written a letter providing feedback on a hotel conference experience. Because the response fails to address any of the bullet points or the core prompt, it cannot be assessed as a successful completion of the task. It does not address the requirements of the prompt at all.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
Despite being off-topic, the writing itself is coherent. The student uses logical paragraphing and clear cohesive devices such as 'The event was held', 'I would particularly like to commend', and 'That said'. The progression of ideas within the context of the hotel review is logical and easy to follow. If the content had matched the prompt, this would be a high-scoring response for coherence, as the structure is professional and well-organized.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
The vocabulary is sophisticated and well-suited for a formal letter. Phrases such as 'commend your staff for their professionalism', 'attentiveness', and 'elegant décor' demonstrate a strong command of language. The student uses a range of topic-specific vocabulary related to event management, such as 'audio-visual equipment', 'catering', and 'banquet team'. The lexical range is clearly above average, showing flexibility and precision in word choice.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The grammar is excellent. The student employs a variety of complex sentence structures, such as 'The banquet team was quick to respond to last-minute requests, such as rearranging seating and adjusting the room temperature, and this made a real difference to how smoothly the event ran.' There are no noticeable grammatical errors, and the punctuation is used accurately throughout the text. The control over complex structures is consistent and error-free.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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