Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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 oe Madam,

I am writing to inform you about a rising issue that more garbage near my home. I am living in rural area called Surrey, which is located 10 km far away from main city Vancouver.

Firstly, There are many walking path ways with a beautiful park close to my house . I usually jog there in the evening and also numerous adults come to walk in there since it is famouse among the people who live near the park.

Recently, I have noticed many garbage thrown by people who visit to walk. Some animals such as singing birds, squirrels are living that area. If walkers dump litter to these areas, it is affect to nature and animals.

Finally, As a responsible resident, I need to take care of this issue. That is the main reason to writing and I hope publish a news article about this peoblem from your newspaper. As a result people will aware this kind of issues and they will be avoid throwing garbage.

Thank you understanding my request. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards

Kavinda

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the three main points: you explain that you walk or jog near your home, describe litter and its possible effect on wildlife, and ask the newspaper to publish an article. However, some parts are only partly developed. The location is given as “Surrey” and “10 km far away from main city Vancouver,” but the countryside setting and what makes the route enjoyable could be clearer. The litter itself is described only generally as “garbage,” without examples such as bottles or food packaging. Your proposed action focuses on raising awareness through an article, but adding practical measures—such as more bins or signs—would make the response more complete. The purpose is understandable, though the request to the newspaper could be stated more directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening explains its purpose, the following paragraphs cover the walking area and litter, and the final paragraph makes a request. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Recently,” and “Finally” help readers follow the progression. However, these transitions feel somewhat mechanical, and some links between ideas are unclear. For example, the sentence about birds and squirrels follows the litter description, but the connection to the harm caused is expressed awkwardly. The final paragraph also combines your responsibility as a resident with the request for a newspaper article, which makes the main point less direct. Use clearer links between the problem, its consequences, and your suggested solutions, and keep each paragraph focused on one purpose.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the general subject, including “rural area,” “walking,” “litter,” “animals,” and “newspaper.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “responsible resident.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which can make the message less clear. “Garbage” is repeated rather than varied or made specific, and “walking path ways” is an unnatural expression. Spelling errors such as “famouse” and “peoblem” are noticeable, while “people will aware” does not express the intended meaning naturally. Build a small set of accurate phrases for types of litter, wildlife impacts, and practical solutions, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a conditional sentence beginning “If walkers dump litter” and a relative clause in “which is located 10 km…” This shows some effort to vary sentence structure. However, errors occur frequently, and some make the intended meaning difficult to follow. For example, “I am writing to inform you about a rising issue that more garbage near my home” is missing a complete clause after “that,” while “it is affect to nature” has an incorrect verb construction. There are also problems with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “I am living in rural area” and the capitalisation after “Firstly,”. Practise complete clause patterns, verb forms, and article use, then proofread punctuation and sentence openings.

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