Your local council is considering closing a sports and leisure centre that it runs, in order to save money. Write a letter to the local council. In your letter: - give details of how you and your friends or family use the centre - explain why the sports and leisure centre is important for the local community - describe the possible effects on local people if the centre closes
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my utmost concern regarding the proposed closure of the Maplewood Sports and Leisure Centre. As a regular user, I strongly believe that shutting it down would have significant negative consequences for the local community.
My family and I frequently visit this sports and leisure centre for various activities. My children attend swimming lessons twice a week, while my friends and I use the gym and indoor courts for badminton. The centre has been an integral part of our routine, helping us stay active and healthy.
The issue with closing this facility is that it plays a crucial role in promoting fitness and social well-being in the community. It provides affordable access to exercise, which is particularly important for families, students, and elderly residents who may not be able to afford private gyms. It is also a place that fosters community bonds and upholds our social interactions.
If the centre shuts down, many people will struggle to find alternative fitness options, leading to a decline in public health and an increase in social isolation. I urge the council to reconsider its decision and explore alternative cost-saving measures that do not deprive the community of such an essential resource.
I hope you will consider my appeal not to shut down the centre for the overall benefit of the community and its members. Thank you in advance.
Yours faithfully,
Emma Richardson
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use measured formal tone Original: utmost Suggested revision: serious Why it matters: Serious concern is firm and formal without sounding overstated.
- 2. Use precise range phrase Original: various activities Suggested revision: a range of activities Why it matters: The replacement is a more natural collocation before the specific examples.
- 3. Clarify cause structure Original: The issue with closing this facility is that Suggested revision: Closing this facility would be harmful because Why it matters: The replacement creates a direct and grammatically clear cause-and-effect statement.
- 4. Clarify well-being types Original: fitness and social well-being Suggested revision: physical fitness and social well-being Why it matters: Physical makes the contrast with social well-being more explicit.
- 5. Fix interaction collocation Original: upholds our social interactions Suggested revision: supports social interaction Why it matters: Supports social interaction is the natural collocation for the centre's community role.
- 6. Maintain formal register Original: If the centre shuts down Suggested revision: If the centre closes Why it matters: Closes is more concise and formal than the phrasal verb shuts down.
- 7. State request positively Original: consider my appeal not to shut down the centre Suggested revision: consider my appeal to keep the centre open Why it matters: The positive phrasing makes the requested council action more direct.
- 8. Remove redundant wording Original: for the overall benefit of the community and its members Suggested revision: for the benefit of the community Why it matters: Community already includes its members, and overall adds no necessary meaning.
- 9. Link effects to users Suggested revision: Connect the loss of affordable facilities for families, students, and older residents more explicitly to the predicted health and isolation effects. Why it matters: This would tie the stated community importance directly to the consequences of closure.
Suggested Rewrites
- utmost serious
- various activities a range of activities
- The issue with closing this facility is that Closing this facility would be harmful because
- fitness and social well-being physical fitness and social well-being
- upholds our social interactions supports social interaction
- If the centre shuts down If the centre closes
Why this response received Band 8.0
This is a persuasive, well-developed formal letter that covers personal use, community value and likely consequences with specific, relevant support. Its main limitation is minor repetition around closure and community benefit, plus one or two slightly unnatural collocations. Tighten the final appeal and replace phrases such as "upholds our social interactions" with more natural wording, while preserving the precise formal tone and strong paragraph structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully achieves its persuasive purpose, develops every bullet point in detail and maintains an appropriate formal register.
Strengthen the already effective appeal by naming one concrete alternative cost-saving measure the council could consider.
Coherence and Cohesion
Each paragraph has a clear function, and the progression from personal use to community importance, consequences and appeal is easy to follow.
Reduce the slight repetition in the final paragraph by ending with one concise request for reconsideration.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise formal vocabulary supports the argument, with only isolated awkward phrasing such as "upholds our social interactions."
Use the more natural collocation "supports social interaction" while retaining the otherwise strong range and precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex sentences is used accurately and flexibly, with punctuation and agreement consistently controlled.
As a refinement, shorten a few long sentences so that each consequence and request receives maximum emphasis.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your local council is considering closing a sports and leisure centre that it runs, in order to save money. Write a letter to the local council. In your letter:
- give details of how you and your friends or family use the centre
- explain why the sports and leisure centre is important for the local community
- describe the possible effects on local people if the centre closes
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.