Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to raise a concern regarding the litter thrown in the countryside near my home. Everyday, in the afternoon I like to take a small walk around the neighbourhood to relax, and get myself some fresh air. On my way, I also come across my friends, and get to have a nice chat with them about the day.

Lately, I am finding litter left by other people who came for a walk as well. This has been concerning me as the litter actually attracts some flies, which are the real cause of several diseases. Additionally, the litter left is increasing day by day, which is why this issue needs to be addressed urgently.

In my suggestion, in order to prevent this kind of behaviour from repeating again in the public places, the best way would be introducing some penalty or taxes for those seen littering around in the CCTV as well as passerbys.

Kind regards,

Khadija

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address all three points: you explain that walking helps you relax and get fresh air, describe litter and its effects, and propose penalties for people caught littering. The concern is clear and relevant to a local newspaper. However, some parts are less fully developed: the location is described only as “around the neighbourhood,” rather than identifying the countryside paths or a specific area, and the litter itself is not described in detail (for example, its type or where it accumulates). The proposed response is also quite narrow; explaining how penalties would be enforced or adding practical measures such as bins or signs would make the suggestion more convincing and complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it opens with the reason for writing, then gives background and describes the problem, before offering a solution. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “Additionally” and “which is why” make the relationship between ideas understandable. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. “On my way” does not clearly identify the route, and the final sentence combines penalties, CCTV and passers-by in a way that makes the proposed process difficult to follow. The letter would progress more clearly if you grouped the description of the litter together and then explained, step by step, how monitoring and penalties could work.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to communicate the topic, including “raise a concern,” “attracts some flies,” “diseases,” and “penalty.” These choices make the main message clear, and you attempt some more formal language suitable for a newspaper letter. There are also noticeable word-choice and collocation problems: “litter thrown” is less natural than “litter left” or “littering,” while “in my suggestion” and “repeating again” are awkward expressions. “Taxes” is not the clearest term for a punishment in this context. More precise vocabulary for the rubbish itself and for enforcement would help you describe the issue and your proposal more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and most of the message remains easy to understand. For example, the sentence beginning “This has been concerning me as…” links the problem to its effect, while “which is why this issue needs to be addressed urgently” shows an attempt at a relative clause. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. In “Everyday, in the afternoon I like…,” the opening time phrase needs clearer punctuation, and “those seen littering around in the CCTV as well as passerbys” has an unclear grammatical relationship between the people, CCTV and proposed penalties. The sentence beginning “In my suggestion” also needs restructuring. Aim for clearer sentence patterns when explaining how the solution would operate.

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