Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-07

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 am writing to inform you about rubbish/garbage collection system which is not working appropriately in our area and that is causing problems for local community including me.

First of all, the schedules of garbage collection in our area has not been followed by rubbish collection trucks all the times. As a result, individuals of community have to store their garbage for more than 3 or 4 days which is unhygienic.

There are several problems that is created by failed garbage collection system. Firstly, there are some diseases which is associated with stored garbage such as Dengue, Malaria, and so on. Apart from these problems, sometimes people throw their garbage anywhere near by the local society, that can causing problems to neighbours.

Regarding the solutions, it would be great if you create WhatsApp group for local area people and garbage collector team. This group provides the information about date and time of garbage collection in different areas. Furthermore, Team of rubbish collection can also give information about holidays and any emergency situation when there will be off days for garbage collection. Apart from this, I would appreciate that if you could create live tracking garbage collection application that can give notification to all the customer when the collection truck nearby.

This matter requires your immediate attention.

Your faithfully,

Tez

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You described the failure of the collection system, explained the negative impact on the community, and provided specific, actionable 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 fully developed; for instance, while you mention diseases, you could briefly elaborate on how the lack of collection specifically leads to these issues. Overall, the response is clear, relevant, and fulfills the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each point, and a formal closing. You use cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'As a result', 'Furthermore', and 'Apart from this' to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as 'that can causing problems' which lacks a clear antecedent. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the request, which helps the reader follow your argument easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'unhygienic', 'emergency situation', and 'immediate attention'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'individuals of community' (should be 'members of the community') and 'local society' (which is not the standard term for a neighborhood). While you successfully convey your meaning, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. To improve, focus on more precise collocations and natural phrasing to express your ideas with greater clarity and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues: 'schedules... has not been followed' (should be 'have'), 'problems that is created' (should be 'are'), and 'that can causing' (should be 'that can cause'). Additionally, there are minor errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'create WhatsApp group' (should be 'create a WhatsApp group'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score.

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

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