Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-07

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 express my point of view regarding spending money either on spnsoring the sports team or paying for the concerts.

To begin with, there are numerous benefits of sponsoring the sports team. Firstly, the team gets motivated when they are sponsored by a large company. It helps them to perform better while keeping in mind the reputation of the company. Moreover, it boost up their confidence level when such large organisation is sponsoring their team.

However, the company can choose the second option of paying for open-air concerts because it will enhance its brand recognition. To explicate this, the company pays a massive upfront fees to place its logo in the area where the concert is going to held. This attracts the attention of audience when they see a huge brand name on top of the stadium.

I look forward to hear from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Saman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify both options and give relevant benefits: sponsorship may motivate the team and build players’ confidence, while concerts could increase the company’s brand recognition. However, the task is only minimally addressed because you do not clearly state how the company should spend the money. The final sentence, “I look forward to hear from you soon,” is a closing, not a recommendation. The concert benefit is also narrowly explained through logo placement, and the sports-team benefits are asserted rather than developed with specific outcomes for local children or the community. To improve, explicitly recommend one option and explain why it offers greater value, while developing the benefits of both choices more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: an opening, a paragraph for each spending option, and a polite closing. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “However” help readers follow the shift between ideas. Nevertheless, the progression is incomplete because the letter ends without the required recommendation, so the discussion does not reach a clear conclusion. Some linking is also mechanical, with several ideas introduced through formulaic transitions rather than connected through explanation. For stronger organisation, make the final paragraph state your preferred option and link it directly to the benefits already discussed. You could also use clearer references to avoid repeating “the company” and “the team.”

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “motivated,” “reputation,” “confidence level,” “brand recognition,” and “upfront fees.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and “brand recognition” is particularly appropriate. There are, however, some inaccurate or awkward choices and a spelling slip: “spnsoring” should be “sponsoring,” “boost up their confidence level” is unnatural, and “massive upfront fees” does not fit smoothly in this context. “To explicate this” is also overly formal and unnatural for a public-feedback letter. Aim for more natural collocations and a consistent formal register, such as “increase their confidence,” “substantial sponsorship fee,” and “to explain.” These refinements would make your vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause in “when they are sponsored by a large company” and a conditional time clause in “when they see a huge brand name.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the errors do not generally obstruct meaning. Some grammatical inaccuracies are present: “it boost up” has a subject–verb agreement error, “fees” is incorrectly plural after “a,” “going to held” is missing “be,” and “I look forward to hear” requires a gerund (“hearing”). There is also a missing article in “on top of the stadium” depending on the intended reference. Review agreement, verb patterns after fixed expressions, and passive constructions. More accurate control of these forms would strengthen the otherwise clear sentence structure.

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.