Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-25

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 hope this latter finds you well. i am writing this letter to get your attention towards increasing issues of garbage maintainance.

To begin with, It has been experienced by our community that the collection of garbage is not consistant. To be more precise, from last three weeks they are showing up on random days and time instead of working on mentioned schedule timing, as a result, i gets hard for community to figure out on which days they are expected to pull their garbage out as everyone has their their own working days , many households are not able to manage their garbage as consequently they have to wait or next week. meanwhile, the rubbish starts smelling which creates issues for nearby houses.

Moving further, a number of handful measures can be taken to cure this issue. First of all there should be a scheduled day for garbage pick up and if there is any changes, households should be informed by email or notified on App. they should also be responsible to pick all the rubbish properly instead of spreading it everywhere.

Looking for your actions,

Reema

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: describing the inconsistent collection, explaining the impact on the community, and suggesting solutions. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a council. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the impact on neighbours is mentioned briefly as 'smelling', but could be expanded to include health concerns or pest issues to better satisfy the requirement for full development. The letter follows the required structure, and the purpose is clear throughout. To improve, ensure that each point is elaborated with more specific detail or examples to demonstrate a more comprehensive response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'To be more precise', and 'Moving further', which help the reader follow your argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are issues with referencing and sentence-level cohesion. For example, the phrase 'as a result, i gets hard' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Additionally, the use of 'they' in the second paragraph is slightly ambiguous, as it is not immediately clear if you are referring to the council or the collection staff. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'inconsistent', 'households', and 'notified'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors. For example, 'garbage maintainance' is not the correct term for collection services, and 'handful measures' is used incorrectly; 'a number of practical measures' would be more natural. There are also minor spelling errors such as 'latter' instead of 'letter' and 'consistant' instead of 'consistent'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your spelling is accurate, as these errors occasionally draw attention to the language rather than the message.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the clarity of your writing. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('i gets hard'), capitalization errors (starting sentences with lowercase 'i'), and punctuation mistakes, such as the comma splice in 'Looking for your actions,'. The use of articles is also inconsistent, such as 'on App' instead of 'on an app'. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and basic sentence mechanics will significantly improve your score.

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

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