Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-06

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 or Madam,

I am writing to express my concern about the poor rubbish collection service in my local area.The current garbage collection system is not working properly,and it is creating several problems for residents.

Over the past few weeks,rubbish has not been collected properly on schedule days,Many garbage bins are left full for several days,and some time collection is delayed without any notice.In addition,some area are not cleaned after collecting,leaving scattered on the streets.

This situation affecting me and my neighbours in many ways.The overflowing bins are causing unpleasent odour and attracting insects and stray animal.It also making the neighbourhood look like dirty and unhygenic,many residents,including family including children and elderly people are worried about possiblities of health and safety risks by accumulated waste.Due to irregularity of waste collectin trucks some people unwillingly collect trash and rubbish to in seperate bag and put aside of garbage bin due to not available space in garbage bin.

I would like to suggest that the local council improve the rubbish collection schedule and ensure that trucks arrive on assining time and days.The council should also increase the frequency of collecting in busy area.Also if possible arrange temperory garbage trucs in busy are so the back logged garbage will collected properly and clear the older wast as soon as possible.

I hope you will take immidaite action to solve this problem.i look forward to your positive response.

Your Faithfully,

Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described the issues with the rubbish collection, explained the negative impact on the community, and provided clear suggestions for improvement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are developed with slightly more nuance; for instance, you could elaborate on the specific health risks mentioned. However, the response is well-structured and covers all requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing that separates the different requirements of the task. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'This situation', and 'I would like to suggest'. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by minor punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after commas (e.g., 'properly,and', 'days,Many'). Improving the use of linking words and ensuring consistent punctuation would make the progression of ideas smoother and more professional.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'accumulated waste', 'unpleasant odour', and 'hygienic'. There are some spelling errors (e.g., 'unpleasent', 'immidaite', 'collectin') and minor word choice issues (e.g., 'look like dirty' instead of 'look dirty'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are frequent grammatical slips, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('This situation affecting me' should be 'This situation is affecting me') and article usage errors ('look like dirty' should be 'look dirty'). Additionally, there are several instances of missing articles or incorrect word forms (e.g., 'some area are not cleaned'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message.

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

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