Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-02

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 complain about the system of collecting the garbage.

Firstly, the person who is collecting the rubbish from the all streets of the city, he does not come on time. People usually put their garbage bin outside in the morning but they are staying at the same location untill late evening. Secondly, he used to collect all the litter with the heep of truck and he did not check in the bin. It's all the garbage bins are empty or not? usually he left half of the rubbish in the bins.

However, it has detrimental effects on individuals health. Due to the late picking of the garbage, not only insects are coming over there, but also the dogs of the city spilt whole bins. which leads to spoil the beauty of city as well impact a negative effects on health. Moreover, the left behind litter we have to put again in the garbage bins on upcoming weekend. which makes more work for us.

It would be great if this issue could resolve as soon as possible. I suggest having a talk with the staff members is a perfect way to solve this problem. Please make sure the follow and obey the all the rules and regulations of the company. Plus, the size of the litter bins could be increased, so that they can collect in the large amount of rubbish.

Thanks you for your time, I am waiting to hear back from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Mandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task instructions. You described the collection issues, explained the negative impact on the community, and provided suggestions for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council. However, some ideas could be developed further; for instance, your suggestion to 'have a talk' with staff is a bit vague. Providing more specific solutions, such as requesting a formal review of the collection schedule or a change in the service provider, would have strengthened your response. Overall, the letter is clear and fulfills the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'However', and 'Moreover' to guide the reader through your arguments. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as the start of the second paragraph. Additionally, the use of referencing is occasionally imprecise, which makes some sentences feel disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would help improve the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'detrimental effects', 'regulations', and 'garbage collection'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'heep of truck' (heap/pile), 'spilt whole bins' (spill/scatter), and 'collect in the large amount of rubbish'. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, but they do limit your score. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that your word choices are contextually appropriate for a formal complaint letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with article usage ('the all streets', 'the beauty of city'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence fragments ('which leads to spoil...'). Some sentences are also poorly constructed, such as 'It's all the garbage bins are empty or not?'. While these errors are noticeable and occur throughout the letter, they rarely impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic errors like missing articles and ensuring that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly.

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