Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-02

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You take the number 24 bus from Northfield to the city centre several times a week. Recently, you have found it difficult to plan your journeys because you cannot rely on the service. You decide to write to the bus company to explain your concerns and ask it to improve the service.

Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter

• explain why you use this bus service
• describe the problems you have experienced with it
• suggest what changes the company could make to improve the service

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with number 24 bus which travels from Northfield to the CBD. I prefer this bus service before because it travels couple of times in a week and currently I cannot completely rely on this bus due to several concerns.

To begin with, travelling to the city center is the basic need for every resident in the Northfield. Majority of my neighbourhood use this bus to city because of early pickup time from the stop as everyone wants to reach city early and comeback before sunset. This is why this bus was the first priority for everyone in the community.

Furthermore, nowadays we are facing some issues regarding this bus. One of the problem is the time management. Bus is not arriving at the given time, which causes several delays in our journey. Second thing is that the cleanliness of the bus is not upto mark which discourage the passengers who wants clean seats for their sitting.

It would be worth considering to resolves these issue as soon as possible for smooth operation of this bus service. Strick time management ensured through the staff members and regularly dusting and service of the bus will increase yours customers satisfaction.

I look forward to seeing possible arrangments for the progess of this bus service.

Yours sincerely,

Muhammad Atiq Zahir

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you explain that residents use the bus to reach the city early, describe unreliable arrival times and poor cleanliness, and request better timekeeping and regular cleaning. Your dissatisfaction is clear from the opening. This meets the task well, but some ideas are less fully developed than others. For example, the reason for your own regular use is not stated precisely, and the proposed changes would be more persuasive if you explained how the company could implement them, such as publishing accurate timetables or introducing routine inspections. The reference to returning before sunset is relevant but generalised. More specific details about how delays affect your journeys would strengthen the letter’s development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear overall progression: purpose, reasons for using the service, problems, suggested improvements, and a closing request. Paragraphing supports this structure, and signposts such as “To begin with” and “Furthermore” help the reader follow the points. The sequence within the problems paragraph is also easy to understand. To make the organisation more natural and cohesive, avoid relying on formulaic transitions such as “Second thing,” and connect each proposed solution directly to the problem it addresses. Some references, including “this bus” and “these issue,” are not fully clear or consistent. A more specific closing request—for example, asking the company to investigate and respond—would also give the final paragraph a stronger link to the purpose.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to a formal complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “delays,” “cleanliness,” and “passengers,” so the main concerns are understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “smooth operation” and “customer satisfaction.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “prefer this bus service before,” “time management” for punctuality, and “dusting and service of the bus” do not express the intended meanings naturally. Spelling and word-form errors such as “upto,” “arrangments,” and “progess” also affect control. Aim for precise transport-related expressions and check spelling and collocations carefully; this will make the complaint sound more fluent and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the relative clause “which travels from Northfield to the CBD” and the cause-and-effect structure “which causes several delays.” The message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include missing or incorrect articles in “number 24 bus” and “in the Northfield,” subject–verb agreement in “Majority … use” and “which discourage,” and the infinitive form in “to resolves.” There are also problems with plural forms and sentence construction, as in “One of the problem” and “Strick time management ensured through the staff members.” Review articles, agreement, and verb patterns, and recast the final suggestion as a complete sentence, such as “The company should ensure punctual service and arrange regular cleaning.”

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

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