Task
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
Candidate’s Answer
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7 score.
Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is Irina Smirnova and I am writing to raise my concern regarding the plans to close our local sports and leisure center. It is hard to underestimate the importance of this center for citizens; in fact, it became the point where we all meat each other to share some positive emotions and spend free time. Also, one cannot miss the influence of sporting activities provided there on the health of the people.
My family is used to going to the center several times a week. My husband and I attend fitness lessons for adults on Monday and Wednesday after work. My two sons went to the center after school; they have a place there to do their homework, to play with other children and relax in safe environment. On weekends we usually meet friends there and go to the swimming pool ore open-air tennis courts, provided it doesn’t rain cats and dogs.
I can think of several negative concequences the closure of the center could do. Firstly, people could become less engaged in sport activities which will definitely affect their health. Secondly, children will lose the opportunity to spend their time in a healthy atmosphere and will spend more time at the street. Finally, for the people interested in sport it will become more difficult to get to the place to exercize as the nearest sports center in in Tornton which is 30 miles away.
I believe this question deserves close attention.
Yours faithfully
Irina Smirnova
Examiner’s Comment
The candidate states the purpose of the letter at the outset. All three bullet points are covered and clearly highlighted (even though the first and second bullet points are addressed in reverse order). Information and ideas are logically organised and there is a clear progression throughout the response. There is some flexibility and precision in the use of lexis and evidence of ability to use less common items (underestimate the importance of this center, the influence of sporting activities… on the health of the people, fitness lessons for adults, negative consequences, the opportunity to spend their time in a healthy atmosphere). US spelling is used consistently throughout; spelling and word choice errors are only occasional (meet/ meat, concequences the closure of the center could do). There is a variety of complex structures, used with some flexibility and accuracy (raise my concern regarding…, provided it doesn’t rain, people could become less engaged in affect their health, for the people interested in sport it will become more difficult to…). There are a few grammatical errors, but these do not impede communication.
