Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-31

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 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to show my dissatisfaction with garbage collecting system in my local and my neighbors as well.

The first main reason is when rubbish collecting truck came, it throw half of the garbage on the way while collecting it. Moreover, when people try to request them to not spoil it, the truck driver started argue. Hence, he stopped taking our garbage due to misarguments.

It's been while the truck did not came, and our garbage has been seating front of the everyone's house from last few days. It is affecting the our societies environment as we do have a lot of children who plays their on playground.

I am kindly request you to send someone as soon as possible so they can collect our garbage. In addition to that please take some action on that truck driver who is not doing his job perfectly.

Thank you so much for you support and assistance.

Kind regards

Rtika

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task: describing the system failure, explaining the impact on the community, and suggesting a solution. Your tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the truck driver's behavior, providing a more specific example of the 'misarguments' or the exact nature of the health hazard would have strengthened the response. The letter is clear and the purpose is well-defined, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Hence', and 'In addition to that'. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'It's been while the truck did not came'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between the problem description and the proposed solution could be smoother. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, placing this in the Band 6.0 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message clearly. You use relevant terms like 'dissatisfaction', 'rubbish', and 'assistance'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'garbage has been seating' (instead of 'sitting') and 'doing his job perfectly' (instead of 'properly' or 'professionally'). There is little evidence of less common or idiomatic vocabulary. To improve, focus on using more precise verbs and collocations appropriate for formal correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'garbage collecting system in my local' (missing noun), 'truck came, it throw' (tense inconsistency), and 'the our societies environment' (incorrect article usage). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, although they do not fully impede communication. To reach a higher band, you need to focus on subject-verb agreement, consistent verb tenses, and correct article usage.

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

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