Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-09

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

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 delighted to write to you as i enjoyed walking in the countryside near my home on the beach road . It was amazing landscape their and the atmosphere were wonderfull really I spend nice time their .But ,unfortunattly i found that some people who used to walk their left rubbish which filled the litter with a very bad smell and mosquites fly over them . It seems that walkers throw the rubbish alot and the litters were fully occupied that disfugres the sight and interferes the entertainment for pedistrians at that region and lessen the value of it .

I suggest to increase the number of workers to evacute litters as soon as they filled and if it is possible to increase the size and the number of litters as much as possible ,hence to improve the sights and the smell for the walkers and pedistrians who can enjoy the region .

Yours Faithfully

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that you enjoy the countryside’s landscape and atmosphere, describe rubbish, bad smells and mosquitoes, and propose more workers and larger or more numerous bins. These details make the letter relevant and give the reader a clear sense of the problem. However, some parts are less fully developed: “near my home” is not made specific beyond “the beach road,” and the proposed measures would be stronger with a brief explanation of how walkers could be encouraged to use the bins or avoid littering. The purpose is clear, but the opening “I am delighted to write” sounds positive despite the complaint. A more direct opening and a little more development of the solutions would make the response more effective.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, moving from your enjoyment of the area to the litter problem and then to suggestions. The closing is also appropriate for a formal letter. However, most of the content is packed into two long paragraphs, and several ideas run together, particularly the description of rubbish, smell, mosquitoes and its effect on walkers. This makes the progression less clear than it could be. Linking words such as “But,” “hence” and “and” are used, though some connections feel mechanical or do not clearly show the relationship between ideas. Separate the description from its effects, and use clearer transitions such as “As a result” before explaining the impact. More precise references would also help readers follow what “them” and “it” refer to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “landscape,” “atmosphere,” “rubbish,” “bad smell” and “interferes,” so the main message is understandable. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as describing how litter affects the area’s appearance and walkers’ enjoyment. However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices are noticeable, including “wonderfull,” “mosquites,” “disfugres” and “pedistrians.” Some combinations are also unnatural: “the litter was fully occupied” does not clearly express that bins are full, and “increase the number of workers to evacuate litters” is not an idiomatic way to describe clearing rubbish. Choose precise, natural collocations and check spelling to make your meaning more fluent and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including a sentence that explains the effects of litter and a conditional suggestion beginning “if it is possible.” This shows some range, and the overall message can be followed. However, several grammatical errors occur in these longer structures. For example, “the atmosphere were” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “I spend nice time” uses an unsuitable verb form and is missing an article. The sentence beginning “It seems that walkers throw…” also shifts between present and past forms without a clear reason. Punctuation and sentence boundaries need attention: the long sentence after “But” contains several separate ideas that would be clearer as shorter sentences. Practise accurate agreement, articles and consistent tense while retaining some complex structures.

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