Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I hope you are doing well. I live in the Arc Society in your area. I wanted to talk with you about how the countryside near my home is totally messed up by the people who walk there. First of all, there is litter everywhere on the ground as well as on the streets. Nobody cares about cleanliness.

Also, I tried to get in touch with the Municipal Community, but they did not respond to my email.

I love going over there for a morning walk in the countryside, but whenever I see people making a mess over there, I even scold them. Sometimes I cleaned it myself as well. I request you to write an article about this matter in your newspaper, so that people can aware about making our surroundings clean and maintained. I believe that the Government has to take strong action on it so that we can protect our Area.

Thank you

Ravneet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The letter is relevant and includes the main requested points: you explain that you enjoy morning walks in the countryside, mention litter, and ask the newspaper to publish an article. However, the task is only partly addressed because the description of the litter is very general: “litter everywhere” does not identify what you have actually seen. The location is also vague, and the proposed solutions are not clearly developed. Asking the newspaper to raise awareness is relevant, but “the Government has to take strong action” does not specify what action would help. Develop these points with concrete examples, such as bottles or food packaging, and practical measures such as bins or signs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The ideas are presented in a broadly understandable order, moving from the problem to your experience and then to a request. Basic linking phrases such as “First of all” and “Also” help signal the sequence. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the paragraph beginning “Also” shifts to your unsuccessful email before explaining why you enjoy walking, and the letter has little paragraphing to separate the task points. Repeated references such as “over there” are vague, while “it” in “take strong action on it” is not very precise. Group the reason for writing, your observations, and your suggestions into clear paragraphs, and use specific references to connect ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate the general issue, including “litter,” “cleanliness,” “morning walk,” and “article.” There are also attempts to express concern emphatically, as in “totally messed up.” However, the vocabulary is limited and some choices are too informal or imprecise for a letter to a newspaper. “Messed up” and “people making a mess” repeat the same general idea, while “litter everywhere” gives little detail. The phrase “people can aware” also uses an incorrect word form, and “protect our Area” is an unnatural choice of expression. Use more precise terms for the rubbish and a more formal register when describing the problem and requesting action.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes mostly clear simple sentences and some attempts to combine ideas, for example, “I love going over there for a morning walk in the countryside, but whenever I see people making a mess over there, I even scold them.” This shows some ability to use subordinate clauses and contrast. There are also grammatical errors, but the main message remains understandable. In “I wanted to talk with you about how the countryside … is totally messed up,” the tense and phrasing are awkward; “people can aware” is missing the structure “be aware”; and “Sometimes I cleaned it myself” does not fit the habitual context as well as “Sometimes I clean it myself.” Check verb forms and sentence patterns, and use punctuation to separate the long final request.

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

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