Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-07

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You enjoy walking in the countryside near your home. However, you are noticing that there is more and more litter left there by other walkers.

Write a letter to your local newspaper. In your letter

• say why you enjoy walking and where

• describe the litter you have seen on your walks

• suggest what might be done about the problem

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

dear sir Madam,

I am writing to express my concern about the letter around the countryside area. Actually, after a long time, I visit my hometown in Punjab and it is a very beautiful state in my hometown. I do like the greenery because they have a lot of green farms for production of crops and very clean environment, oxygen as well. While walking around the countryside of my home country I saw some of the litter on the ground spread by the workers who used to work there for as a construction workers. Actually, when they had their lunch, they just throw the garbage right front on the road instead of putting that garbage in the dust be and also whenever they want to use the restroom, they usually go in an open area which polluted the soil as well as water and cause many bacteria around them. actually, I want you to please get a look into this matter. Moreover, provide some funds to them to build a restroom for them and some garbage bins on road to save the environment for our future generation. I shall be very thankful to you.

your faithfully,

khushleen

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main points by explaining that you enjoy the countryside’s greenery and clean environment, describing litter and unsanitary toilet use, and asking the newspaper to help. The suggestions to provide bins and build restrooms are relevant. However, the first point is not fully clear: the letter shifts between “my hometown in Punjab” and “my home country,” without identifying the walking location precisely or explaining the enjoyment of walking itself. The description also focuses on construction workers rather than clearly establishing that the litter is being left by other walkers, as the prompt states. Develop these details and make the request to the newspaper more specific to cover the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter follows a broadly understandable order: it introduces the concern, gives examples of the problem, and ends with proposed solutions and thanks. Connectors such as “Moreover” and “as well” help show relationships between ideas. However, most of the response is presented as one long paragraph, so the shift from describing the countryside to explaining the litter and then making requests is difficult to follow. Several ideas are crowded into long sentences, and “Actually” is repeated without adding a clear link. Use separate paragraphs for the background, the problem, and the proposed action, and choose transitions that show the precise relationship between points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “green farms,” “garbage bins,” “polluted the soil,” and “save the environment.” These choices make the general concern understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the letter around the countryside area” and “dust be,” which may make the reader pause. Repetition of “garbage,” “actually,” and “countryside” also limits variety. Aim for more precise phrases for the issue and its effects, and check collocations and word forms. For example, describe rubbish being “left along the path” and refer to “public toilets” or “litter bins” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine ideas using clauses and conjunctions, as in the sentence beginning “While walking around the countryside,” and the main message can generally be understood. However, complex sentences are often faulty or overloaded. For example, “I visit my hometown … and it is a very beautiful state in my hometown” has unclear sentence structure, while “they just throw the garbage … and cause many bacteria” contains problems with tense, agreement, and clause construction. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation, including lowercase “dear” and “actually” after a full stop. Use shorter, controlled sentences, check subject–verb agreement and tense consistency, and punctuate each complete idea clearly.

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

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