Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to convey my dissatisfaction regarding the increasing number of litter left by some walkers in the countryside area near block B12. It hinders the beauty of our locality and detoriates the hygiene levels.

The beautiful flowers and greenary near the main school of countryside region attracts me to go for a walk everyday after dinner. Big garbage bags and cardboard trash are destroying the beauty of our area as it is seen lying outside without proper disposal methods. Moreover, I observed some flies and moth around that place and the reason was foul smell coming from the garbage. I request you to post an article to your everyday journal regarding the issue so that it creates an awareness. Furthermore, a cleanliness comparison picture can make the article more attractive.

I hope my request will be addressed in the earliest possible and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Harjot

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the main purpose by reporting the litter problem and asking the newspaper to raise awareness. You also explain why you walk, mentioning the flowers and greenery near the school, and describe garbage bags, cardboard and the smell. However, the response only partly fulfils the task because the location is vague (“near block B12” and “main school of countryside region”), and the proposed action is limited to publishing an article and adding a comparison picture. Explain more clearly where the walks take place and develop practical measures, such as providing bins, arranging clean-ups or asking walkers to take their rubbish home. These additions would make the ideas more complete and purposeful for a letter to the local newspaper.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it introduces the complaint, gives details about the walks and litter, and ends with a request and polite closing. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “Furthermore” help connect supporting points, and the reader can follow the main message. To strengthen progression further, separate the description of the litter from your proposed solutions, so the request to publish an article does not arrive within the same long paragraph as the observations. Some connections are also slightly mechanical, particularly the repeated addition of points with “Moreover” and “Furthermore.” Use paragraphing and a wider range of natural transitions to make the sequence of ideas smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “hygiene levels,” “proper disposal” and “creates an awareness.” These choices communicate the issue, and the descriptions of garbage bags, cardboard and a foul smell give the reader concrete details. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural choices that limit precision, such as “greenary,” “detoriates,” “cleanliness comparison picture” and “everyday journal.” Some phrases also sound overly formal or unclear for this context. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling, while choosing direct expressions that suit a newspaper letter—for example, “local newspaper” and “before-and-after photographs.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “garbage bags and cardboard trash are destroying the beauty of our area as it is seen lying outside.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the letter’s basic message is clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement and plural forms: “the increasing number of litter” treats an uncountable noun as countable, while “flowers and greenary … attracts” has a plural subject with a singular verb. In “some flies and moth,” the noun also needs a plural form. Review subject–verb agreement, countable and uncountable nouns, and sentence construction; revising the long sentence about rubbish would also make its reference clearer.

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