Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-16

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 7.0)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my concern about the rubbish collection service in the my local area,which has recently become unreliable and is causing considerable inconvenience to residents.

Over the past three weeks,the rubbish has not collected on the scheduled days.In some cases,the collection has been delayed for several days,while on other occasions,only some of the bins have been emptied.As a result,rubbish is accumulating outside many houses and along the streets.

The situation is creating several problems for me and neighbours.The overflowing bins are producing unpleasant smells,particularly during warm weather,and they are attracting flies and others pests.In addition,some rubbish is being scattered on the roads and pavements which makes neighbourhood untidy.

I would appreciate it if the council could investigate this matter and ensure that the collection service operates according to their working schedule.If there are staffing or vehicle problems,temporary additional vehicles could be arranged.I would also suggest providing residents with an update about when they missed collection will be completed.

I hope you will take prompt action to resolve this problem.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Hemali Chauhan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response successfully covers all three bullet points of the prompt. You begin by clearly stating the purpose of the letter and describing the issue, noting that rubbish has not been collected on scheduled days and bins are left unemptied. You then explain the impact on you and your neighbours, mentioning unpleasant smells, pests, and scattered debris. Finally, you offer practical and constructive suggestions, such as investigating the schedule, arranging temporary vehicles, and providing updates to residents. Your tone is appropriately formal and polite throughout, which is ideal for a general training letter to a local council. The purpose is fully realized and meets all requirements of the task descriptor for a high band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organization from start to finish. Ideas are grouped logically into distinct paragraphs: the introduction, the description of the problem, the impacts on residents, the suggested solutions, and the closing remarks. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. Cohesive devices are employed adequately, for example, 'In some cases', 'while on other occasions', and 'In addition'. There are some very minor mechanical spacing issues after punctuation marks, such as missing spaces after commas (e.g., 'local area,which'), but these do not impede the logical flow or the readability of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate to good range of vocabulary suited to the task, using appropriate terms such as 'considerable inconvenience', 'accumulating', 'overflowing bins', and 'unpleasant smells'. You also attempt less common phrases like 'investigate this matter' and 'prompt action'. There are a few minor lexical inaccuracies and omissions, such as 'in the my local area' (incorrect determiner) and 'others pests' (incorrect pluralization of modifiers). However, these errors do not impede communication, and the overall choice of language successfully conveys your message with appropriate formal tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional forms ('If there are staffing or vehicle problems...') and relative clauses ('...which makes neighbourhood untidy'). Grammatical control is generally quite good, with many error-free sentences. However, there are some persistent punctuation and grammatical slips, notably missing spaces after commas, a missing article in 'makes neighbourhood untidy', and a small error in the second paragraph ('the rubbish has not collected' instead of 'has not been collected'). Despite these occasional errors, communication remains clear and the grammar does not hinder the reader.

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