Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-07-30

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment towards the inappropriate rubbish collection system in our area.

I am Merry and lives in 24 Backford Street. As per schedule, garbage collectors should come every week for rubbish collection. However, they did not come from the last two months.

Me and all the neighbours are facing alot of inconvenience because of huge collection of garbage on the streets. Even foul smell is also emanating out from the garbage. Moreover, mosquitoes rise steadily in our area. I even called the collectors repeatedly but my grievances have fallen on the deaf ears.

I would appreciate if you will take appropriate and strict actions against their negligence behaviour and we also want new staff for garbage collection. Moreover, now its your duty to spray insecticides spray in the entire colony.

I am assuming that you will act promptly to make measures to resolve the crisis.

Your’s faithfully,

Gursimran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly describe the failure of the collection system, explain the negative impact on the residents, and suggest specific actions for the council. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, while you mention the smell and mosquitoes, expanding slightly on the health risks or the specific duration of the problem would have provided a more comprehensive response. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the requirements of the prompt are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate the different points, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Moreover', and 'Even', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, although the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The overall progression of ideas is logical, and the letter is easy to follow from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'inconvenience', 'emanating', 'negligence', and 'promptly'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'negligence behaviour' (should be 'negligent behaviour') and 'make measures' (should be 'take measures'). Additionally, 'mosquitoes rise steadily' is slightly unnatural in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. Improving your control over collocations would significantly enhance your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'I am Merry and lives in' (should be 'I am Merry and I live in'), 'did not come from the last two months' (should be 'have not come for the last two months'), and 'Your’s faithfully' (should be 'Yours faithfully'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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