Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-04

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/ mam

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction about the collection of the litter and garbage in my local area.

For the kind information , it caused considerable inconvenience to everyone. The main issue is that workers are not only late but also not coming regularly. As a result, it caused a significant amount of mess in our area.

Although, it has negligible affects on the overall well being of world, people from my town are getting effected everyday due to mosquitoes., smell and other insects. I am very disappointed.

I would like to give you some suggestions. On the top of that is it would be beneficial if cleaning worker start follow their routine everyday.Another recommendation is that when government impose some penalties on people who throw garbages on the roads, it will reduces disease among people.

I hope you may consider my suggestions into account.

Your sincerely,

Arshdeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing the system failure, explaining the impact on the community, and suggesting solutions. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the suggestion regarding penalties for littering is not directly related to the core problem of the council's collection service failure. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening salutation 'Dear sir/ mam' is slightly informal. To improve, ensure that suggestions are directly linked to the specific problem described, and provide more detailed explanations of the consequences to demonstrate a more thorough development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'As a result', 'Although', and 'Another recommendation'. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or misused, such as 'On the top of that is it would be beneficial'. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally. Paragraphing is present, but the structure within the paragraphs could be more cohesive to ensure a smoother reading experience.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. There are some attempts at using less common vocabulary, such as 'considerable inconvenience' and 'negligible affects'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'affects' instead of 'effects', 'effected' instead of 'affected', and 'garbages' (which is an uncountable noun). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of the writing. Expanding your range of collocations and ensuring correct word forms will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'cleaning worker start follow', 'the government impose'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, such as the unnecessary comma after 'mosquitoes'. The errors are frequent enough to be noticeable, though they rarely prevent the reader from understanding the intended message. To reach a higher band, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent control over complex sentence structures.

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

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