Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-09

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 6.0)

Dear Sir / madam.

Hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this letter on the behalf of the garbage collection system in my neighbourhood. Its been almost two weeks that me and my neighbours facing the problem and now at last we decided to issue a complaint letter for that.

Picking garbage was never the issue in our local area since you changed a new driver. In some weeks he took one garbage can and leave the other one filled and sometimes he pick garbage for some of the houses and ignore others. Even though I noticed that he is very rude to the kids playing around the area. He also make so much mess in front of the house which makes us feel bad.

I hope you will look into the issue deeply. We request you to change this driver or make strict rules for him. We will be waiting for a reply from your end.

Thanks,

Sincerely

Rajan Sharma

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: describing the problem, explaining the impact, and suggesting a solution. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a council. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the impact on the neighbours is mentioned briefly but could be expanded to provide a more vivid picture of the situation. The suggestion to change the driver or implement rules is clear, but the letter would benefit from a more formal structure and a more professional opening and closing to fully meet the requirements of a formal complaint.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is generally coherent and follows a logical progression from the introduction to the problem description and finally the suggested solution. Paragraphing is used, though the transitions between ideas could be smoother. Some cohesive devices are used, such as 'Even though' and 'I hope', but the flow is occasionally interrupted by slightly awkward phrasing, such as 'at last we decided to issue a complaint letter for that'. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels a bit mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate the core issues effectively. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as 'complaint letter' and 'neighbourhood', but the range is somewhat limited. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'make so much mess' or 'issue a complaint letter'. While the meaning is always clear, the lack of more sophisticated or precise collocations prevents a higher score. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout, such as 'Its been almost two weeks that me and my neighbours facing' (should be 'It has been... that my neighbours and I have been facing') and 'he pick garbage' (should be 'he picks'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly in the opening salutation. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over more complex grammatical forms.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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