Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to express my concern regarding the garbage collection system which is not working good in my area.

To be precise more, I live in Skyview Ranch northeast , Calgary area . City of Calgary provide the three bins blue, green and black for different type of garbage. Rubbish collection team schedule in my area every Thursday . Unfortunately , last two Thursday they did not come to collect the grabage bins . Altought , they send message every Wednesday tomorrow garbage collection day , they never come to collect it .

Me and my neighbour faced a lot of problems regarding this such as our bins are full and we through garbage to side wake I know it is very harmful for our society but I do not have other option . Due to this , everyone get frashted from garbage its not only harmful for human also put bad effect on pets .

I kindly request to you please send the workers every week to collect the garbage every society . You personally keep on eyes on your workers since they work properly.

I look forward to you for your response

your faithfully

Gursimran singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: describing the problem, explaining the impact on the community, and suggesting a solution. Your tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a council. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the bins are full, you could have elaborated more on the specific health risks or the duration of the issue to make your argument more persuasive. The letter clearly communicates your purpose, but a more detailed explanation of the impact on your neighbours would have strengthened the response and helped you reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the introduction of the problem to its consequences and finally to a proposed solution. Paragraphing is present, though the transitions between ideas are sometimes abrupt. You use some cohesive devices like 'Unfortunately' and 'Due to this', but the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and punctuation errors. For example, the sentence 'Altought , they send message...' lacks a clear logical connection to the previous point. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would improve the overall flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. However, there are several instances of incorrect word choice and spelling errors, such as 'frashted' (frustrated), 'through' (threw), and 'side wake' (sidewalk). Additionally, phrases like 'not working good' are grammatically and lexically weak. To improve, you should focus on using more precise vocabulary related to municipal services and community issues. While you attempt to use topic-specific words like 'garbage collection' and 'bins', the lack of variety and the presence of spelling mistakes prevent a higher score in this category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently struggle with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'City of Calgary provide' instead of 'provides' and 'not only harmful for human also put bad effect' which is missing necessary prepositions and conjunctions. Punctuation is also problematic, with spaces appearing before commas and periods. While your meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these grammatical errors is high enough to distract the reader. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors would significantly improve your score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.