Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-15

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 5.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to appreciate your company's initiative in sponsoring the sports team in our place. The team had been looking a generous sponsor for three years already and it's happy to hear that finally our prayers have been answered. For your preference, I would be very grateful to discuss with you the two options. Firstly,if you decide to sponsor the team, you can donate a new pair of shoes, uniforms and sports equipments. Your extended help will surely benefit our young athletes and motivate them to strive hard.

Apart from the sponsorship, I heard that you are also thinking to pay for an open-air concerts. This will be very beneficial and attractive to our athletes for them to be exposed and earn money. Rest assured the money that will be acquired will be used for extensive trainings and future needs.

Either way, it is a great pleasure to know your interest in supporting our team. Rest assured, the money that we will be collected will be properly recorded for transparency and will be used responsible to support our aspiring athletes.

Yours faithfully,

Hannah Rosemarie L. Alicaya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The letter responds to the situation and gives a clear preference for supporting the sports team, with relevant benefits such as providing equipment and motivating young athletes. However, the task asks you to summarise the benefits of the concerts as a separate option, and this part is unclear: the claim that concerts would help athletes “be exposed and earn money” does not explain the benefit to the wider community or how the concerts would work. The final paragraph also repeats support for the team rather than clearly comparing the options and stating a reasoned recommendation. Develop each option distinctly, then make your choice explicit and support it with a specific reason.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable letter structure, with an opening, discussion of the two options, and a closing. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” and “Apart from the sponsorship” help signal the shift between topics. However, the progression is weakened because the concert paragraph is difficult to follow and the final paragraph repeats the sponsorship point instead of drawing the comparison to a conclusion. Some references are also unclear, particularly “the money that will be acquired” and “the money that we will be collected,” which make it hard to identify who receives or collects the funds. Use separate, focused paragraphs for each option and a final paragraph that states the recommendation and its rationale.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for the topic, including “sponsor,” “young athletes,” “motivate,” “transparency,” and “aspiring athletes.” These choices make the general subject clear, and some phrases show an attempt to be formal. However, several collocations and word choices are inaccurate or awkward, such as “in our place,” “a generous sponsor,” “sports equipments,” and “used responsible.” The phrase “be exposed” is also too vague for explaining what concerts would offer. Aim for more natural combinations and precise wording, for example, “in our community,” “sports equipment,” and “gain exposure.” This would make the message clearer and more idiomatic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, such as “If you decide to sponsor the team, you can donate…” and “Rest assured…” The main message is generally understandable. However, errors occur in several sentence patterns and reduce accuracy: “had been looking a generous sponsor” is missing a preposition, “an open-air concerts” has an article–plural mismatch, and “the money that we will be collected” uses an incorrect passive construction. There are also punctuation and spacing issues, as in “Firstly,if.” Review articles, verb forms, and sentence punctuation, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the letter.

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

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