Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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)

enligh bay beach , view

wraps, plastic waste, cans , glass bottles

garbage bin , a sign board

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter in regards about the waste on the side walk of the stanley park. Stanley is a place of natural beauty coming together with modern infrastructure. It is very close to my apartment and deleiver a wonderful sense of cleanliness, fresh atmosphere and facinating view of the pacific ocean.

Despite of the beauty it has, the viewpoint and the resting area near the prospectos point is now just a duming area. There is a lot of plactic waste such as plactic wraps, containers and cans.

The main problem arise from a missing garbage bin. There is no designated dumping area in the two mile walking area. A warning board can also be installed.

Kindly regards,

harmanjot singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the main situation and include relevant details: you explain that Stanley Park is close to your apartment and describe plastic wraps, containers and cans, then suggest adding a garbage bin and warning board. However, the response only partially fulfils the task. The opening fragment, “enligh bay beach, view,” is unclear, and the letter does not clearly explain what you enjoy about walking itself. The litter description is brief and does not cover the full range suggested in your notes, such as glass bottles. Your proposed actions are relevant but need explanation—for example, where bins should be placed or how signs might encourage walkers to take their rubbish away. The response is also below the required 150 words, so develop each point further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The letter has a recognisable sequence: it introduces the concern, describes the park and litter, and then offers possible solutions. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages. However, progression is limited because the opening notes are disconnected from the letter, and the first paragraph combines the location, its qualities and your personal enjoyment without a clear focus. Some links between ideas are awkward, such as “Despite of the beauty it has,” and the final suggestions arrive abruptly. Use a clearer paragraph for why you walk there, another for the litter, and a final one for practical solutions. Linking phrases should show the relationship between points accurately rather than simply joining sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “natural beauty,” “plastic waste,” “designated dumping area” and “warning board.” These choices make the subject understandable, but the range is limited and several spelling or word-choice errors reduce precision: “duming,” “plactic,” “deleiver” and “facinating.” Some expressions are also unnatural, such as “in regards about the waste” and “a wonderful sense of cleanliness.” Choose more idiomatic phrases and check spelling carefully. You could also use a wider range of precise litter-related terms, such as “food wrappers,” “bottles” and “rubbish bins,” to make the description more complete and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentences, and the main message is generally understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven. For example, “Despite of the beauty it has” uses an incorrect construction; write “Despite its beauty” or “Although it is beautiful.” In “The main problem arise,” the singular subject requires “arises,” while “There is no designated dumping area in the two mile walking area” needs the compound adjective “two-mile.” The letter also relies heavily on short, simple statements, so the range of sentence structures is limited. Practise combining related ideas with accurate clauses, and check subject–verb agreement, articles and punctuation when revising.

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

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