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,

I am writing this letter regarding of the trash collection system being unable to clear all the trash. This is making everyone's life intolerable.

The garbage trucks comes once in a week, all of the litter bins gets full in the first few days of the week then people starts putting the waste besides the bins. the trash keeps getting everywhere with the help of stray animals.

There is a garbage scent all around my neighborhood. The food wastes have invited all kinds of bugs in the area, which may cause serious illness. everyone is starting to throw their rubbish anywhere they wants because its all just a big garbage bin now

I would suggest that you should install more garbage bins. Two or three more route should be added for the garbage pickup.

I would be forever thankful to you if you pay attention to my request.

yours faithfully

clark kent

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You described the failure of the collection system, explained the negative impact on the neighborhood, and provided suggestions for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a council. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the suggestion to 'add two or three more routes' is a bit vague. To reach a higher band, you could expand on how these changes would specifically solve the issue or provide more detail on the current frequency of collection versus the required frequency. Overall, the response is relevant and fulfills the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure with a clear opening and closing. You have used paragraphs to separate the different points, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited. There is a lack of linking words or transition phrases between sentences (e.g., 'The garbage trucks comes...', 'The trash keeps getting...'). The flow is somewhat mechanical, and the connection between ideas could be smoother. Improving the use of cohesive devices like 'consequently,' 'furthermore,' or 'as a result' would significantly enhance the readability and logical progression of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'trash collection system,' 'litter bins,' and 'neighborhood.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'garbage scent' (which should be 'foul odor' or 'stench') and 'besides the bins' (which should be 'beside' or 'around'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise adjectives and nouns to describe the situation, which would help convey the severity of the problem more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('garbage trucks comes', 'bins gets', 'people starts') and verb tense/form errors ('everyone wants', 'its all just'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization and the use of apostrophes. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and proofreading for small errors would lead to a significant improvement in your accuracy.

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

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