Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-07-28

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 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing a letter to you about garbage system. This system is bad day by day. This is creating pollution and many diseases. So focus on this situation and solved the problem then people will safe diseases and pollution.

Therefore, the rubbish collection system is strongly poor and government are not focused on this problem. All people are disturb due to rubbish and disease are transmitted. For many days they do not come pick up the garbage.

Furthermore, it is very affective me and my neighbours. When we wake up early in the morning and going for walk and open the door then too much smell and heap garbage in front of doo

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, reaching only 118 words. While you have attempted to address all three bullet points—describing the system failure, explaining the impact, and suggesting a solution—the ideas are significantly under-developed. For instance, the suggestion to 'solve the problem' is too vague. To improve, you must expand on your points with specific details, such as how often the collection is missed or what specific actions the council should take (e.g., increasing collection frequency or providing more bins). The lack of length and depth prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is divided into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression of ideas is weak. Transitions like 'Therefore' and 'Furthermore' are used, but they do not always connect the sentences logically. For example, the transition to the final paragraph is abrupt, and the sentence structure within paragraphs is often disjointed. To improve, ensure that each paragraph focuses on one clear idea and use cohesive devices more naturally to link your sentences and arguments together.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You frequently use basic terms like 'bad', 'problem', and 'garbage'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'people will safe diseases' (which is grammatically and lexically incorrect) and 'rubbish collection system is strongly poor'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'sanitation services', 'accumulated waste', 'unhygienic conditions', and 'rectify the situation'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter that occasionally impede communication. Examples include 'government are not focused' (subject-verb agreement), 'people are disturb' (passive voice error), and 'it is very affective me' (confusing 'affective' with 'affecting'). The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement, correct verb tenses, and attempting to use more complex sentence structures like relative clauses or conditional sentences.

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