Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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, Madam,

I am writting this letter to you because there is hips of litter left in the trail to sarangkot. It my favourate place to do hikking because of the beautifull view from the top of the hill.

Yesturday, when i was walking that path I saw litter all around the paths which is making the trails dirty and if its continues in this way there might be a huge problems in the coming future. I would like to address this problems to you hoping you will put this problems this problems in your newspaper and make aware those who is using this trails they should take care of their rubbish before leaving the trail.

I would like to suggest the local government of that place through your newspaper to solve those problems by adding the rubbis bins and making a strick rules. I found that the trails are lacking a proper rubbish bins on the way to the top. I hope the local government will take strick action about the people who are throwing litter where ever they wants.

I would be greatfull if you could address this problems in yours newspaper. Thank you for your time and attention.

your faithfull,

Mighty lake

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that you enjoy hiking for the view from Sarangkot, describe litter along the trail, and propose bins and stricter rules. The purpose of writing to the newspaper is also clear, especially when you ask it to raise awareness. Some ideas, however, are less fully developed than others. The description of the rubbish remains general (“litter all around the paths”), and the proposed rules are not explained—for example, you could suggest signs, regular clean-ups, or fines for people who leave rubbish. Adding a specific example of the litter and explaining how your suggestions would help would make the letter more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: it introduces the problem, describes what you saw, offers solutions, and ends with a request. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “Yesturday” and “I would like to suggest” signal the progression of ideas. However, some connections and references are unclear or repetitive. In “address this problems … put this problems this problems in your newspaper,” the repeated phrase makes the request difficult to follow, while “those problems” does not always clearly identify whether you mean litter, a lack of bins, or both. Use concise references and link each proposed action directly to the problem it addresses to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “trail,” “rubbish bins,” “local government,” and “strick action,” so the reader can understand your main concerns and suggestions. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, such as “hips of litter,” “favourate,” “beautifull,” and “strick.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, including “make aware those who is using this trails.” These errors sometimes make the message less clear. Build a more accurate set of topic-specific expressions and check spelling carefully; for instance, describe particular items of rubbish and use a natural phrase such as “raise awareness among trail users.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional idea in “if its continues in this way there might be a huge problems.” The main message is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. Examples include the missing verb in “It my favourate place,” the agreement error in “those who is using,” and the plural mismatch in “a huge problems.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention, particularly in the long sentence beginning “I would like to address this problems to you.” Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and singular/plural forms, and divide longer sentences into shorter units. This will help you express your ideas more reliably while retaining some complex structures.

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

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