Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

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,

I hope you are doing well. I lived near your mulcipalty region, today i have notice some litter near my house park were everyday me and my wife came to walk, Since serveral day i have notice that there are many people comes to walk everyday and i notice that some people were thowing litter on ground and on parthways.

While walking i see there is beautyful spout to stand and enjoy the view, but there were a lot of litter were there it's make our environment bad and also harmful to childrens, I have notice that there is no garbage boxes nearby, So I suggest you that to keep new garbage boxes and also make new rule that to add huge amount of fines who is littering.

I hope you understand the situation of our residantial area and it is our responsibility to keep it clean and safe to our mulcipalty area.

Your regards,

Aryan Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three points: you explain that you walk with your wife near your home, describe litter on the ground and pathways, and propose bins and fines. These are relevant responses, but some are only briefly developed. The reason you enjoy walking is suggested by the “beautiful spot” and its view, yet the location remains vague (“my house park”), and the description would be clearer with examples of the rubbish you have seen. Your suggestions are practical, but you could explain who should install bins or enforce fines. The purpose of writing to a local newspaper is apparent, although a clearer request for the newspaper to raise awareness would make the letter more fully targeted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure: it introduces the concern, describes the setting and problem, then offers solutions and closes politely. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and the reader can follow the general message. However, the first paragraph combines several ideas in a long sentence, while transitions between the enjoyment of walking, the litter, and its effects are sometimes abrupt. Linking words such as “Since” and “So” are used, but the relationships they express are not always clear. For example, the sentence beginning “While walking” shifts quickly from the scenery to the litter and its consequences. Use shorter sentences and clearer links, and make references such as “there” more specific so the progression feels smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main issue, including “litter,” “pathways,” “environment,” “garbage boxes,” and “fines.” There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “enjoy the view” and “harmful to children.” However, the range is limited, and several spelling errors or imprecise expressions make the letter less natural: “mulcipalty,” “thowing,” and “beautyful” are examples. “Garbage boxes” is understandable but not the usual expression in this context; “rubbish bins” or “litter bins” would be more idiomatic. Build a wider set of accurate words for types of rubbish and ways to address littering, and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, but the range of structures is limited and these attempts often contain errors. For example, “everyday me and my wife came to walk” has problems with tense, word order, and the verb pattern; “there are many people comes to walk” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. Tense shifts also make the timeline unclear in “I have notice” and “some people were thowing.” Sentence boundaries and capitalization need attention, particularly in the long opening sentence and after “So.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause, although the overall meaning remains understandable. Practise accurate present perfect forms, agreement, and shorter sentences before combining ideas with conjunctions.

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

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