Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-16
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 this to inform you that, sponsoring a local children sports will be very benificial for our society as well as their carier because it gives them boost and skill which they desire.
To begin with, sponsoring the sports team is not only helpfull for the single team who put their efforts but, it also give all the other member of the society to perform to their full potential, so they will get choosen next time.
In addition to this paying for concerts helps them to build their audience as well as this help our comapany to make a good will in the market. We can also create our impresion in the eyes of our competitors. We are not concern for our profits but we also stand for this city.
In my thinking we should spit the money in two categories, firstly for sports team we can put 60% for their trainers and dresses on which our company logo show. Secondly 40% for concerts where we can spend on venues and decoration with our company banners.
I hope you will understand and approve all the necessary payments.
Yours faithfully,
Ram Sharma
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address all three requested points and maintain a clear recommendation: the company should divide its funding, with 60% for the team and 40% for concerts. The sports section identifies benefits for children’s skills and wider community participation, while the concert section mentions audience-building and improving the company’s public image. However, some ideas are less fully explained than others. For example, the benefits of concerts are mainly framed around the company’s reputation, with little detail about what the events offer local residents. The proposed split is specific, but the reasons for choosing these proportions could be clearer. Develop each benefit with a concrete explanation to make the response more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it introduces the purpose, discusses the sports team, considers concerts, gives a recommendation, and closes politely. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “In addition to this,” and “Secondly” guide the reader. At times, however, the linking feels mechanical, and some connections are unclear. The sentence beginning “In addition to this paying for concerts” shifts topic without a smooth transition, while “so they will get chosen next time” leaves the reference to “they” uncertain. Use transitions that show the relationship between ideas and make pronoun references explicit to improve the flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “sponsor,” “potential,” “competitors,” “venues,” and “company banners,” so the main message is generally understandable. However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, as in “benificial,” “carier,” “comapany,” and “impression.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “gives them boost and skill” and “make a good will in the market” do not convey the intended ideas idiomatically. Aim for accurate spelling and natural collocations, such as describing how sponsorship develops children’s skills or strengthens the company’s reputation. This would make your vocabulary more controlled and appropriate for a formal letter.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “not only … but” and the recommendation sentence with “firstly” and “secondly.” The overall meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “sponsoring … is not only helpfull” needs a verb form such as “is not only helpful,” and “it also give” requires subject–verb agreement (“gives”). The opening sentence also has an unnecessary comma after “that,” and “children sports” needs a possessive or a suitable noun phrase. Review agreement, articles, and sentence punctuation, and check that each clause has a complete, correctly formed structure. Greater accuracy across 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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