Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-23

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 to describe the issue that we are having in our area regarding the rubbish/garbage collection from a long time.

The major problem we are facing is that we are not provided with enough bins in our area according to the garbage type. Apart from this, there is no facilty of collecting garbage every week . Resultantly, bins are always overloaded and making mess in the area and when ever the trucks come, they take only half of the rubbish as they bring small trucks ony.

Local people are having maleria and other skin allergies due to the piles of garbage in the area. Children are also gettin sick which is directly impacking their studies. On the roads , there is always a jam as garbage is becoming hindrance for the vehicles.

To address this problem, you should arrange more garbage collectors immediatally and should put some more bins in the area so that collection would be also easy. People to clean the area should be also appointed so that the mess would not come on the roads and at from of the houses. I hope my suggestion would help you to take some active actions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly describe the issues with the collection system, explain the negative impact on health and traffic, and propose logical solutions. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a council. To improve, ensure that the opening and closing are more standard; for instance, 'Dear Sir or Madam' was requested, but you used 'Dear Sir'. Additionally, while the ideas are relevant, they could be expanded slightly with more specific detail to fully develop the argument, moving from a Band 6 to a Band 7 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Apart from this', 'Resultantly', and 'To address this problem'. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Resultantly'. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'this', 'these') is used more precisely would help achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message effectively. You use terms like 'overloaded', 'hindrance', and 'allergies'. However, there are several spelling errors ('facilty', 'maleria', 'gettin', 'impacking', 'immediatally') and some awkward collocations ('making mess', 'at from of the houses'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score. To reach a higher band, focus on accurate spelling and using more precise collocations, such as 'causing a mess' instead of 'making mess'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'from a long time' (should be 'for a long time'), 'no facilty of collecting' (should be 'no facility for collecting'), and 'garbage is becoming hindrance' (should be 'a hindrance'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and periods. While your meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors suggests a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of article usage and prepositional phrases.

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

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