Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-14

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,

I am writing this to complain you about your worker.

I feel like your management does not work properly because there is no fix time to collect the garbage. As today I was waiting for the collector to collect the garbage but they never show up and there is no mail or any other type of massage received about change of schedule.

It ruins my whole week. As garbage is more and there is no space in bin. I am not the only one who face that problem my next home said that he is very angry on you and want to change the company but i advice him first talk with you to find any solution if will not find any the will change the company.

You have to solve this problem by improving your management and have been more cooperative with each other which will make a good bond between each other and will solve the problem automatically.

Hope you solve this problem as soon as possible.

Yours Faithfully,

Sukhvir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: describing the issue, explaining the impact on neighbors, and suggesting a solution. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. The description of the problem is clear, but the explanation of the impact is repetitive and lacks formal tone. The suggestion for improvement is vague, focusing on 'management' rather than specific operational changes. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete details, such as specific dates or the frequency of the missed collections, and offer more professional, actionable suggestions for the council to implement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical flow between sentences is often disjointed. For example, the transition between the complaint and the impact on neighbors is abrupt. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'and' to connect ideas. To improve, you should use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'as a result') to guide the reader through your arguments more smoothly and improve the overall structure of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and formal tone required for a letter to a local council. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'massage' instead of 'message', 'fix time' instead of 'fixed time', and 'next home' instead of 'neighbor'. The phrasing is often simplistic, which limits your ability to convey the seriousness of the situation. To improve, focus on learning formal collocations and business-appropriate vocabulary to replace informal expressions like 'I feel like' or 'it ruins my whole week'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'I am not the only one who face that problem'), incorrect verb tenses, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'complain you about your worker'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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