Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-31

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 to share my opinion how your company should spend your money. According to me, sponsoring money for local children's sports is more beneficial than pay for concerts.

first of all, this will be encourage children to develop healthy habits and increase many skills like teamwork, leadership and discipline. because of this, they will became more active and stay healthy. moreover, supporting children sports provide long term benefits for children's like for two years. On the other hand, paying for concerts it will give entertainment for local people for some time and give the opportunity to bring community together and provide a pleasant experience for families and young people. but, their benefits is only limited for two concerts.

Therefore I strongly believe that sponsoring children's team has more positive impacts rather then giving an opportunity for live entertainments to locals.

Thanks,

Gurleen

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the benefits of the sports team, the benefits of the concerts, and a clear recommendation. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the overall score. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped. For instance, the benefits of the sports team could have been expanded with more specific examples of community impact. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter, but the brevity prevents a more thorough exploration of the arguments required for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. There is a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'first of all', 'moreover', 'on the other hand'). Some transitions are slightly awkward, such as 'because of this' and 'but, their benefits is only limited'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow and coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinion clearly. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'sponsoring money' instead of 'providing sponsorship' or 'investing funds'. There are also minor errors in word formation, such as 'children's like' instead of 'children'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of topic-specific vocabulary.

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 distract the reader. Examples include 'this will be encourage' (incorrect verb form), 'they will became' (incorrect tense), and 'rather then' (spelling error for 'than'). Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'supporting children sports' and 'give entertainment'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.