Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-26
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 thank you for sponsoring money for the occasion and also we want to briefly explain the reasons how your company should spend money on it.
To commence with if your company decides to sponsor for a local childern's sport team for two years it would help and encourage the local student to participate in the sports they can spend good time in playing outdoor activities rather then seating home and can have a single meal a day.
Also if you decide to pay for the concerts it will make the place lively for a while people can come enjoy that vibe too with their family and friends this would be something new for the town.
I think if your company is spending that much money you guys focus the meals and games that people are going to enjoy more either on childerns team or concerts.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully
Bowen Lara.
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
The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the benefits of the sports team, the concerts, and providing a recommendation. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. For instance, the suggestion to 'focus the meals and games' is vague and does not clearly explain why one option is superior to the other. The tone is somewhat informal and lacks the professional polish expected in a formal letter to a company. To improve, you should expand on your reasoning with more specific details and ensure your recommendation is clearly justified based on the benefits previously discussed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite basic and sometimes repetitive. Phrases like 'To commence with' and 'Also' are used to transition between ideas, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the connection between 'meals and games' and the two options is confusing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'sponsoring money for the occasion' and 'seating home'. The word choice is quite simple, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or topic-specific vocabulary related to community development or corporate social responsibility. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise collocations and avoid repetitive or informal language. Proofreading for spelling errors, such as 'childern's', is also essential.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include missing articles ('the local student'), incorrect verb forms ('sponsoring money'), and run-on sentences that lack proper punctuation. For example, the second paragraph is a long, comma-spliced sentence that makes the argument difficult to follow. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence boundaries and subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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