Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this meets you in good health. I am Miss Mercy, a resident of Agbado layout in Owo local government and I am writing to notify you of an unpleasant occurrence in my locality.

Every other day, I engage in walks in the countryside near my home. I do this because I find it refreshing and a good way of unwinding after a stressful day. This has really been helpful as it helps me relax and have a good sleep afterwards. And I always wake up the next morning expectant and full of energy.

Before now, the surrounding is very clean and cozy, but of recent I noticed that the environment is becoming very untidy with litters of sachet waters, nylons, plastics and some other garbage.

I would appreciate if your local newspaper can publicize this recent happening and as well suggest provision of waste basket at every 1km and enforcement of weekly environmental sanitation in the locality as ways of curbing this menace. All this will promote proper disposal of the waste items.

Thanks for your usual co-operation and I hope this gets the publicity that it needs.

Yours sincerely,

Mercy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three points clearly: you explain that walking in the countryside helps you unwind, describe the litter you have seen, and propose publicising the issue, adding waste baskets and enforcing sanitation. The purpose and your concern remain clear throughout, and the suggestions are relevant. To make the response more fully developed, give a little more specific detail about the walking location and the litter—for example, where it accumulates or how it affects the paths. The proposed measures could also be linked more explicitly to the newspaper’s role, such as asking it to encourage residents or local authorities to act. Overall, the task is covered effectively, though some ideas are expressed in general terms.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The letter has a clear progression from its purpose, to your enjoyment of walking, to the worsening litter problem and possible solutions. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and phrases such as “Before now” and “I would appreciate” help signal shifts between points. The opening and closing also suit a formal letter. Some connections are less smooth: “And I always wake up…” begins a sentence with a conjunction and feels slightly detached from the preceding explanation, while “All this” refers broadly to several proposals. For stronger cohesion, connect the benefit of walking more directly to the next point and use precise references to the proposed actions. The organisation is clear overall, with a few opportunities for more flexible linking.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range to communicate the topic, including “unwinding,” “environmental sanitation,” “proper disposal” and “curbing this menace.” These choices show attempts to use more formal and less common vocabulary. However, some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “litters of sachet waters,” “the surrounding is very clean and cozy,” and “notify you of an unpleasant occurrence.” “Cozy” is also not a natural description of a countryside environment in this context. These word-choice and collocation issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for straightforward, accurate phrases such as “litter including water sachets and plastic packaging” and “report a growing problem in my area.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most ideas remain easy to understand. For example, “I do this because I find it refreshing…” uses a subordinate clause effectively. Some grammatical errors remain: “I would appreciate if” needs “I would appreciate it if,” and “the surrounding is very clean” would be more naturally formed as “the surroundings were very clean.” The tense shift from “was” in “Before now” to “I noticed” and “is becoming” is also inconsistent; keep the past description and current change clearly distinguished. There are a few punctuation and sentence-boundary issues, including the sentence beginning “And I always wake up.” More consistent control of these forms would strengthen accuracy.

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

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