Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-19

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 ,

I am writing this letter to the local council because the garbage collection service in our area is not working properly.

Firstly, Rubbish collection truck doesn’t come on their schedule days they always miss their pickup days and this leads to overflowing garbages bins in our area .

Secondly, Due to the unpleasant smell from the garbage it is very hard for us to go outside and also people donot have choice so they leave there garbage on the pavement and some residents also saw rats near by the garbage bin which could leads to health problems for children and also for residents .

However, I request the council to talk to rubbish collection service team regarding this matter and council should also check they are coming on there schedule days and provide extra bins for local areas which will prevent overflowing bins. I hope I will heard from you soon .

Yours Faithfully,

kim K

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all bullet points required in the task instructions. You clearly described how the collection system is failing by stating that trucks 'don't come on their schedule days'. You also explained the impact on residents, mentioning overflowing bins, unpleasant smells, and the presence of rats which poses health risks. Furthermore, you provided clear suggestions for improvement by asking the council to speak with the collection team and provide extra bins. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to the local council. However, the development of ideas could be slightly more extended to fully reach the higher bands. Overall, all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear beginning and ending. You use logical connectors such as 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' to structure your supporting points, and 'However' to transition into your suggestions. Paragraphing is used to separate your introduction, main body points, and conclusion, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, some cohesive devices feel a bit mechanical, and referencing is occasionally faulty, such as in the sentence 'check they are coming on there schedule days' where the link between clauses is slightly blurred. Overall, the organization is clear and easy to follow, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your message about the rubbish collection problem clearly. You attempted some less common vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'overflowing bins', 'unpleasant smell', and 'health problems'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'garbages' instead of 'garbage', 'donot' instead of 'do not', 'there' instead of 'their', and 'heard' instead of 'hear'. These lexical and spelling errors demonstrate limitations in lexical control, placing this response firmly at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as the conditional-like structure 'which could leads to health problems' and the coordinate clause structures linked by conjunctions. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. Examples include 'truck doesn't come' instead of 'trucks don't come', 'schedule days' instead of 'scheduled days', 'leave there garbage' instead of 'leave their garbage', and 'I will heard' instead of 'I will hear'. Punctuation errors, such as missing apostrophes and incorrect spacing around commas, also occur. These errors occasionally cause slight distraction for the reader, leading to a Band 5.5 score.

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