Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir/Madam

Good Morning, I hope you are doing well

I write this letter because our Society is faced problem regarding garbage collection we seen that garbage collectors do not bring rubbish properly, they leave as it is we leave furthermore garbage collector vehical will not come on the schedule day.

Due to this our area become durty and it increasing the rate of mosquitos and bugs and it has directly impact on everyonce health, Moreover this garbage create very bad smells so we can not feel fresh air so I request you to solve this problem as soon as possible.

I suggest you that please schedule at least two days in a week so everyone can arrange thier garbage properly and also because of this garbage their are lots of mosquitos surrounded our house so plase press the spray to reduce incresing rate. I hope you understand this problem and help us to solve this Thank You.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: describing the collection issues, explaining the impact on the community, and suggesting solutions. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the garbage is not collected, you could have provided more specific details about the frequency or the nature of the waste. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though the structure could be more clearly defined with distinct paragraphs for each point to ensure the reader follows your argument more effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is organized into a single block of text, which makes it difficult to follow. You should use clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction, the body paragraphs (one for each bullet point), and the conclusion. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'Due to this', the flow is often interrupted by run-on sentences and a lack of punctuation. Improving your use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph focuses on a single main idea would significantly improve the logical progression of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic message, but it is quite repetitive and lacks precision. You frequently use simple terms like 'garbage' and 'bad', which limits the impact of your letter. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'durty' (dirty), 'vehical' (vehicle), 'everyonce' (everyone), and 'thier' (their). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more varied and precise vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'sanitation', 'irregular', 'hazardous', or 'hygiene'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. For instance, 'we seen that' should be 'we have noticed that', and 'it increasing the rate' should be 'it increases the rate'. Many sentences are run-on, lacking necessary full stops or commas to separate distinct thoughts. While you attempt to use complex structures, they are often inaccurate. Focusing on writing shorter, error-free sentences before attempting more complex ones will help improve your accuracy.

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

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