Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to inform you about the noticeable increase in litter left by other walkers and would recommend if you could publish an article to increase awareness via your newspaper

I am living in this area for a decade now, and one of the reasons on staying here is its close accessibility to the beautiful countryside. The place gives me escape from the weekly workload and its a good escape from the concrete jungle around my house. The lake along the walk is my favorite spot and I have developed new hobbies viz. kayaking and fishing.

Recently, I have seen many families camping and considering it as a picnic spot. There are all age groups of people coming to countryside as its a summer time. There has been an irresponsible behavior that I have been seeing lately from the visitors. Even when their is a designated site to dispose one's garbage and trash, people are littering around the entire area and especially near the lake. I am seeing used soda cans, paper bags and some leftover produce. The limit was when I saw a broken tent in the middle of the walk, I presume someone had planned for an over night camping and it rained and the wind broke through the tent. Instead of disposing the broken tent, it was left behind on the walk.

To address this issue, I have few suggestions to make, To start with if we can run a cleaning drive this weekend would be helpful to spread local awareness and a sense of responsibility amongst the visitors. Secondly we can have a security to make the people safe and confront anyone who is trying to litter around the walk. Finally we can setup CCTV cameras to increase surveillance and to levy a litter ticket on the person who is seen not disposing his/her trash properly.

I feel the move mention issue and its solutions can help keep us the countryside walk clean and tidy for everyone who wants to visit the same.

Thanking you

Mandeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points and maintains a clear purpose: you explain your enjoyment of the countryside and lake, describe specific rubbish, and propose practical responses. Details such as “used soda cans, paper bags” and the abandoned tent make the problem concrete, while the cleaning drive and penalties show relevant engagement. Your reasons for walking are also extended with the contrast between countryside and the “concrete jungle.” To strengthen the response further, make the newspaper request more explicit and develop how the proposed security or cameras would be organised and funded. The final sentence is difficult to understand, so it weakens the otherwise clear closing message. Overall, the task is covered effectively, with some ideas needing sharper development and expression.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression: purpose, personal connection to the area, examples of litter, proposed solutions, and a closing statement. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and signposts such as “To start with,” “Secondly,” and “Finally” make the suggestions easy to follow. However, some links feel mechanical, and the long litter paragraph moves from visitors to rubbish to the tent story without a smooth transition. The opening sentence also combines the complaint and request in a way that is hard to follow, while the final sentence does not clearly connect the proposed actions to the desired outcome. More precise referencing and a few natural transitions would make the organisation feel more fluent and less dependent on explicit sequencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “designated site,” “local awareness,” “surveillance,” and “litter ticket.” Specific examples such as “used soda cans” and “broken tent” help communicate the issue clearly. There are also attempts at less common or formal wording, but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “close accessibility” would be better expressed as “close proximity,” and “the limit was when” does not convey the intended meaning naturally. “A security” is also an unsuitable noun choice for the person or service you mean. These slips do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Aim for accurate collocations and avoid unnecessary formal terms such as “viz.” in a straightforward letter to a newspaper.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including explanations with “and” and conditional suggestions beginning “if we can.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make sentences difficult to interpret. For example, “I am living in this area for a decade now” needs a present perfect form, and “one of the reasons on staying here” has an incorrect grammatical pattern. There are also errors in “their is,” “its a summer time,” and “I have few suggestions,” as well as inconsistent sentence boundaries and capitalization after “To start with.” The final sentence, “help keep us the countryside walk clean,” is structurally unclear. Review tense, articles, agreement, and sentence punctuation, then proofread each sentence for a complete, clear structure.

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