Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-21

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

This is to express my opinion concerning the riverside paveway located at the boreal junction. I usually spend my leisure time in that area walking across the riverfront for the past 3 years. I find myself there along with my neighbours for a short walk or somtimes to spend quality time together. This has been the most special part of my day since years. I am quite fascinated by the breathtaking views of the surroundings and the quiet ambience.

However, since few weeks it has been a major concern regarding the cleanliness of the place. I have observed the riverfront flooded with numerous empty plastic bottles, snacks wrappers and other waste materials piled up unappropriately. The main cause of this issue can be other walkers and young teenagers. I have seen school children completing their project while enjoying snacks and dumping the waste nearby.

For the reasons mentioned above, I find this very disturbing and I would like to suggest some ideas to preserve the beauty of this place. I would like you to keep some hoardings which specifically mentions the rules and rescritions to keep the area clean. I would also suggest to keep some volunteers enrolled for this area particularly who will instruct other people to follow the instructions. There can be more patrolling by the service men in this region for some weeks to ensure the rules are followed sincerely. I hope these suggestions will help you in future.

Yours faithfully,

XYZ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose: you explain that you enjoy walking by the riverfront, describe the litter, and propose ways to address it. Details such as the “breathtaking views” and the plastic bottles and snack wrappers make the situation concrete. Your suggestions—signs, volunteers and patrols—are relevant and give the newspaper practical options. The explanation of who leaves the rubbish is less fully supported: the reference to schoolchildren is specific, but the claim that walkers and teenagers are the main cause is broad. Develop this point cautiously and explain how each proposed measure could help. Overall, the task is covered clearly, with some ideas more fully extended than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is organised into clear paragraphs, moving from your enjoyment of the area to the litter problem and then to possible solutions. This gives the reader a logical progression, and transitions such as “However” and “For the reasons mentioned above” make the shifts between sections clear. The opening and closing also suit a formal letter to a newspaper. Some linking is a little mechanical, particularly the repeated “I would like” in the suggestions, and the long final paragraph contains several proposals that could be separated or connected more smoothly. Varying the transitions and grouping related recommendations would make the progression feel more flexible, while retaining the clear overall structure already present.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including descriptive phrases such as “breathtaking views” and “quiet ambience,” as well as relevant terms like “plastic bottles,” “waste materials” and “patrolling.” These choices communicate the issue clearly, and you attempt some less common or formal expressions. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “riverside paveway,” “flooded with” for litter, “piled up unappropriately,” and “keep some hoardings.” There are also spelling errors such as “somtimes” and “rescritions.” Choose more natural expressions for a public letter and check spelling carefully; this would make your vocabulary more precise without changing the clear message.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the meaning remains clear. For example, “I have observed the riverfront…” and “I have seen school children…” use present perfect forms to describe recent observations, while the suggestions include modal structures such as “There can be more patrolling.” Some grammatical errors remain. In “since few weeks,” the article is missing, and “This has been the most special part of my day since years” uses an unsuitable time expression and tense pattern. The clause “hoardings which specifically mentions” also has subject–verb disagreement, and “I would like you to keep” is awkwardly structured for making a recommendation. Review articles, agreement and time expressions, and proofread sentence patterns.

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

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