Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-17

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter to bring your attention to the concern of garbage collection system.

First of all , the garbage team does not follow the posted schedule for collecting garbage. Secondly, on the holidays , they does not update the timeline beforehand.

There are number of problems caused due to this. I live in a street where all families have kids. due to delay in pickup garbage, a lot of bad odour comes out .Not only this, due to summer, everyone experienced insects like flies which resulted into bad environment.

I would like to suggest some possible solutions which can be beneficial for society. There must be updated schedule prior to every week so that everyone get updated in advance.It will assist whole community.

I hope you will consider my request and take prompt actions to address this as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

sukhdeep.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the task: describing the problem, explaining the impact on the community, and suggesting a solution. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a council. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the impact on the neighborhood is described briefly, and the suggestion for a solution could be more detailed to demonstrate a higher level of task fulfillment. While the response covers all requirements, the ideas are presented in a fairly basic manner, which aligns with the descriptors for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. There is a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'First of all' and 'Secondly' are used, but the transition between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, there are some minor issues with referencing, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the transition to the impact section. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the flow could be improved with more varied linking words.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are some instances of slightly unnatural collocations, such as 'garbage team' instead of 'waste collection service' or 'bad environment' instead of 'unsanitary conditions'. The student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but the range is limited. Spelling is generally accurate, but the word choice is often simplistic. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise terminology related to municipal services and environmental issues.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('they does not update') and missing articles ('in a street', 'due to delay in pickup garbage'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall accuracy. The punctuation is generally functional, but the control over complex structures is inconsistent. More attention to basic grammar rules and sentence construction is needed.

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

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