Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The system used for rubbish/garbage collection in your local area is not working properly. This is causing problems for you and your neighbours. Write a letter to the local council. In your letter

• describe how the rubbish collection system is not working properly
• explain how this is affecting you and your neighbours
• suggest what should 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,

I am writing to complain about the system carried out for garbage collection in nearby area that lead to many detrimental effects such as unpleasent smells, insects and rodents and the most crucial is unhygenic surroundings for the native people.

Over the past three weeks, garbage collection trucks are not frequently visiting after 4 days as it is decided by the council to collect the waste from their houses. However, the insects and rodents started to creating unsanitary conditions. Furthermore, several families have expressed concerns about the potential health risks, particularly for the young children and elderly residents.

I would appreciate if the council could arrange an urgent collection of the accumulated rubbish and ensure that future collection will follow a consistent schedule. Additionally, installing more bins and conducting regular inspections wpuld help prevent similar problems.

I look forward to your prompt response and appropriate action.

Yours faithfully,

Anuj Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, appropriately formal purpose. You identify the collection problem (“trucks are not frequently visiting”) and describe its effects, including insects, rodents, unpleasant smells, and health concerns for children and older residents. You also make practical requests: an urgent clearance, a consistent schedule, more bins, and inspections. These details give the response good coverage and some support. To make the ideas more fully developed, clarify the collection arrangement—for example, how often trucks are supposed to come and how long rubbish is left—and explain more specifically how the situation affects you personally as well as your neighbours. The requested action is clear, though a little more detail about implementation would strengthen it further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear progression: it introduces the complaint, explains the recent collection problem and its consequences, then proposes solutions and closes politely. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “Additionally” help connect related points. The reader can follow the main message without difficulty. Some connections could be more precise: the sentence beginning “Over the past three weeks” combines the collection frequency with the council’s schedule in a way that makes the intended timing unclear. The opening list of effects is also dense. Separating the problem, its consequences, and the requested changes more distinctly, while using references such as “this delay” to link them, would make the progression smoother and less dependent on explicit connectors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for a formal complaint and attempt some less common or topic-specific expressions, including “accumulated rubbish,” “unsanitary conditions,” “potential health risks,” and “consistent schedule.” These choices communicate the issue clearly and suit the purpose. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “system carried out for garbage collection,” “detrimental effects,” and “native people” do not express the intended meaning naturally in this context. There are also spelling errors in “unpleasent,” “unhygenic,” and “wpuld.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Prefer familiar, accurate phrases such as “local rubbish collection service” and “residents,” and proofread carefully for spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple statements and more developed sentence forms, such as the sentence beginning “Furthermore,” which adds a health-risk detail, and the conditional request “I would appreciate if the council could arrange…”. The overall meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors show that control is not yet consistent. For example, “that lead to” needs agreement with “system,” and “started to creating” uses an incorrect verb pattern; write “has led to” and “started creating” or “started to create.” In “trucks are not frequently visiting after 4 days,” the tense and time expression do not clearly describe the ongoing situation. The request would also be more grammatical as “I would appreciate it if…”. Practise accurate verb patterns and tense choices in longer sentences.

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