Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-12

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,

I am writing to bring your attention to the collection system of the Tribute community.

Firstly, the collectors from our community would never arrive on their scheduled time to collect the garbage. It just has not happened recently, but we have been facing this concern since last month; before that, the collectors worked punctually and took the trash on time.

These problems really affect the livelihood of the tenants living in the community. I personally face this issue in a negative way: my house garage is full of flies, which is not only bad for the health of my family but also affects the people of my neighborhood.

I would suggest you contact the employees who used to work in our region; it might be a misunderstanding of their schedule. I would appreciate it if you assisted us to tackle this concern as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time and understanding. I will look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Sincerely,

Avnoor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: 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 your ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the impact on your garage and neighbors, expanding slightly more on the specific health risks or the duration of the smell would have provided a more comprehensive response. The letter is well-structured and follows the required format, ensuring the purpose of the communication is clear to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'These problems', and 'However', which help the flow of ideas. To improve, you could use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more fluidly. For instance, instead of starting sentences with 'It' or 'These', you could use more sophisticated transitions to show the relationship between the garbage collection failure and the resulting health concerns.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and conveys your meaning clearly. You use relevant terms like 'scheduled time', 'tenants', and 'neighborhood'. However, the range is somewhat limited and relies on fairly common language. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise or academic collocations. For example, instead of saying 'the collectors would never arrive', you could use 'the collection service has been consistently unreliable'. Additionally, ensure you use formal register consistently; 'tackle this concern' is good, but 'fix the problem' is a bit basic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some minor grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'It just has not happened recently' (which is slightly confusing in context) and 'assisted us to tackle' (where 'in tackling' or 'with' would be more natural). Your use of punctuation is generally correct, and your sentences are easy to follow. To improve, focus on using more complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, to enhance the formal tone of your writing while maintaining accuracy.

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.