Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-19

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 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this concerning the problem we are facing regarding the garbage collection system.

The garbage collection van comes in every 2 weeks to collect household garbage. This collection only includes recyclable garbage. For garbage including glass and tin cans, the van comes in every 3 weeks. This frequency has been causing neighbourhood wide garbage collection problems. My household alone piles up around two trash bags per week, that is four bags until the garbage collection van arrives. I live in a nuclear family so the garbage accumulated is fairly less than most households in my neighbourhood. As my neighbourhood mostly consists of joint families the garbage piled up is significantly higher than average. Due to the reduced frequency of the garbage van, people have started to put garbage bags outside their house. This has resulted in a bad odour problem all across the area. This issue can be very conveniently resolved by increasing the frequency of garbage collection van to once a week.

I appreciate your time and understanding in this matter. Hope to hear from you soon!

Your sincerely

john mayor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly describe the current collection schedule, explain the negative impact on the neighbourhood, and provide a logical suggestion for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the specific health or safety concerns caused by the 'bad odour' to further develop your ideas, as the current explanation is somewhat brief. However, the response is fully relevant and covers all parts of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with a clear introduction, a body paragraph detailing the problem and its effects, and a concluding sentence. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Due to' and 'This has resulted in', to link your points. However, the paragraphing is limited; the entire body of the letter is contained in one paragraph. To improve, you should separate the description of the problem from the explanation of the impact and the proposed solution into distinct paragraphs to enhance the structure and readability.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accumulated', 'significantly', and 'conveniently'. The language is generally natural and conveys your meaning clearly. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'garbage collection van comes in' (a more natural phrasing would be 'the collection service operates') and 'garbage accumulated is fairly less' (which should be 'significantly less' or 'much lower'). To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise collocations and avoid repetitive use of the word 'garbage'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and your meaning is consistently clear. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'I am writing this concerning' (which is slightly awkward; 'I am writing regarding' is better) and 'Your sincerely' (which should be 'Yours sincerely'). Additionally, 'The garbage collection van comes in every 2 weeks' contains a minor error in preposition usage. While these errors do not impede communication, you should focus on proofreading for small slips in articles and formal letter conventions to improve your accuracy.

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

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