Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 or Madam,

I am writing to bring something really important concern to your notice that is increasing day by day . The problem is none other than the garbage especially at the countryside of Hope city.

I love to spend my leisure time at such a beautiful areas for my evening walk because it helps me to get relax and boost up my energy.

One thing that I am seeing and getting converting into trend by other walkers is that it is being used as area to dump their waste. They came with their pets and make this area dirty. Not only the animals waste out, they are also throw their home waste over here. Due to there this attitude, there is raise of pollution, one cannot pass through it because of its foul smell.

To overcome such situation, I would like you to post an article on this topic in your newspaper so that people should be aware about it and kindly inform this concern to the higher dignities.

I hope you will support me and try your level best to convey this message to each and everyone.

Yours sincerely,

Alan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that countryside walks help you relax and boost your energy, describe pet and household waste, and ask the newspaper to raise awareness and inform relevant authorities. The purpose of the letter is clear and the details are relevant. However, some parts are less fully developed than others. The location is only identified as “the countryside of Hope city,” without saying which paths or areas you use, and the litter description could be more specific—for example, naming items such as plastic bottles or food packaging. Your proposed action is also quite general; explain what authorities or walkers could do, such as adding bins or signs. These additions would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it introduces the concern, explains your enjoyment of walking, describes the problem, and ends with a request and a polite closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “To overcome such situation” signal a move to your suggestion. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, however. “One thing that I am seeing and getting converting into trend” makes the relationship between the observation and the growing problem difficult to follow, while “Due to there this attitude” is an unclear reference. Use simpler, more direct links—for example, “Recently, I have noticed that some walkers leave rubbish behind.” Clearer referencing and smoother transitions would strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “leisure time,” “pollution,” “foul smell,” and “overcome,” and the reader can understand the main concern. However, several word choices and collocations are noticeably inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “bring something really important concern to your notice,” “boost up my energy,” and “higher dignities” do not express the ideas naturally. “Garbage” and “waste” are repeated, and the description would benefit from more specific terms for litter. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and a little more topic-specific vocabulary, such as “raise awareness,” “litter-strewn paths,” or “install rubbish bins.” This would make your message clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the sentence beginning “Not only…” and the conditional purpose clause “so that people should be aware.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors make individual sentences difficult to process. For example, “They came with their pets and make this area dirty” shifts tense and has an unclear subject, while “they are also throw their home waste” has an incorrect verb form. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and sentence construction, as in “such a beautiful areas” and “there is raise of pollution.” Check that subjects and verbs agree, keep verb forms consistent, and use complete, well-formed clauses. More accurate control of these patterns would improve readability.

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

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