Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-13

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 this letter to bring your kind attention towards wastage collection system which is not successful and causing health problems.

According to local council, garbage collection is schedule on every Friday but unfortunately system delays even many days to show up. Due to this, rabbits and racoons are very common in my city and they scattered trash on the road and the house driveway as well.

Delays in rubbish collection is responsible in emerging insects like mosquitoes and bees which causing fatal diseases for children and elderly people.

Solutions should be taken into consideration to alleviate this issue as you can hire more employees as well as provide enough garbage trucks so that garbage can be collected on exact time which will help to keep city clean and safe.

I hope you will take prompt action to mitigate this problem.

Sincerely,

Gurpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: describing the system failure, explaining the impact, and suggesting solutions. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum, which impacts the development of ideas. While the points are relevant, they are somewhat brief. For instance, the suggestion to 'hire more employees' is a good start but could be expanded to achieve a more professional tone. Because the response falls short of the minimum length requirement, it cannot be awarded a band higher than 5.0 for Task Achievement, as the development of the required points is restricted by the brevity of the text.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, with each paragraph addressing a specific part of the prompt. The use of linking words such as 'Due to this' and 'I hope' helps the flow. However, the paragraphing is a bit sparse, and the transition between the description of the problem and the impact could be smoother. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, and the overall progression of ideas is clear but basic. To improve, you should use a wider variety of cohesive devices to connect sentences and ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your message clearly, such as 'alleviate', 'mitigate', and 'prompt action'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'wastage collection system' (should be 'waste collection') and 'emerging insects' (should be 'proliferation of insects'). Additionally, 'rabbits and racoons' are mentioned, but the phrasing 'they scattered trash' is slightly unnatural. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

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 the text, such as 'garbage collection is schedule' (should be 'scheduled'), 'system delays even many days' (should be 'is delayed by many days'), and 'which causing fatal diseases' (should be 'which causes'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the core message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of verb tenses, particularly when describing recurring issues.

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.