Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear-----,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to formally inform you about issues that our neighbourhood is currently facing due to inedequate garbage collection system's woking in our area, Sialkot Hajipoora.

This problem was initially observed by one of my neighbours. Atleast twice a week, garbage collection vehicles do not arrive on the scheduled time that is between 7-8 am in the morning. As most people have to leave their homes early in the morning, aroung 9 am, this time slot is considred suitable for us.

The days when garbage is not picked up, we face many issues including getting late for work while waiting for rubbish collection vehicles's arrival. Some people have to drop their childen to schools. Because of this, children are reaching school late.

Resolving this problem has become a priority for us. I believe this issue is happening because of your limiting staff. Hiring new workers so that they can finish one area timely and reach other areas on the scheduled time, can be a possible solution.

I hope you will take our suggestion into your consideration and resove the issue as soon as possible.

We look forward to your kind response.

Best regards,

-------

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The candidate has successfully addressed all three bullet points required in the task instructions. First, the problem with the rubbish collection system is clearly described, noting that vehicles arrive late or miss scheduled days entirely. Second, the impact on the writer and neighbours is explained with specific consequences, such as getting late for work and children missing school. Third, a logical suggestion is provided to resolve the issue by hiring more staff. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council, though the greeting contained a slight formatting overlap with the salutation line. Overall, the ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is fully achieved, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter exhibits a clear logical progression throughout, moving smoothly from the statement of the problem to its impact, followed by proposed solutions and a polite closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points, such as the timing of the vehicles, the consequences on daily routines, and the suggested remedies. Cohesive devices are handled adequately, using linking words and transition phrases like 'This problem was initially observed' and 'Because of this'. However, there are minor mechanical referencing issues, such as 'garbage collection vehicles's arrival', which slightly disrupts the natural flow. Nevertheless, the overall organisation is coherent and easy to follow, supporting a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate the message with reasonable flexibility and precision. Less common phrases like 'formally inform', 'scheduled time', and 'priority' are successfully employed. However, there are a few spelling and word-choice errors that reflect a Band 6 level, such as 'inedequate' instead of 'inadequate', 'woking' instead of 'working', 'Atleast' (at least), and 'aroung' (around). Additionally, 'limiting staff' is slightly unnatural and would be better expressed as 'limited staff'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or time-referencing clauses like 'As most people have to leave their homes early... this time slot is considred suitable'. There is good control of general sentence construction, and punctuation is mostly handled well. However, minor grammatical and spelling inaccuracies appear throughout the text, such as 'get late' (should be 'be late' or 'arrive late'), 'drop their childen to schools' (should be 'drop their children off at school'), and 'resove' (resolve). The majority of simple sentences are accurate, and complex forms are attempted with mostly successful communication, placing this securely at Band 6.

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

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