Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-20

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 this letter to complain you about the garbage collection which is not collected by the system and it causing difficulties in our neighbourhood.

The trucks for picking up the garbage bags are nowadays not coming regularly. However, earlier they were coming every weekend for it.

This is badly affecting to me and other people around this area. Since, it is not taken by the corporation, we have now ample of bags of the rubbish. Moreover, bugs are spreading significantly and due to this it stinks in our neighbourhood. This is embarassing for us whenever other people or guests are coming to our area.

To solve this problem, I would like to give you a suggestion to the corporation if they could scheduled days for picking up the rubbish bags so we have more clean and neat neighbourhood.

I hope you look into this matter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Pranti Patel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. The student clearly describes how the rubbish collection is failing by mentioning that trucks are no longer coming regularly compared to their previous weekend schedule. The impact on the neighbourhood is also well illustrated, detailing the accumulation of rubbish bags, bad odours, spreading bugs, and embarrassment when guests visit. Furthermore, a specific and relevant suggestion is provided to resolve the issue by establishing scheduled collection days. The tone is appropriately formal for a letter to a local council, and the purpose is clear from the opening paragraph. All parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, fitting comfortably within the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas, moving smoothly from the statement of purpose and description of the problem to the consequences and finally the proposed solution. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with distinct sections for the introduction, body points, and sign-off. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like 'Since, it is not taken by the corporation' misuse punctuation, and 'Moreover' is slightly awkward in context. Referencing is generally clear, but mechanical linking prevents the response from achieving a higher band score, placing it squarely at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating ideas related to municipal services and neighbourhood issues, such as 'garbage collection', 'corporation', and 'neighbourhood'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'complain you about' instead of 'complain to you about', 'ample of bags' instead of 'plenty of bags', and the spelling error 'embarassing'. While less common vocabulary is attempted, the precision is lacking, and these errors limit the lexical score to a Band 5.5, reflecting a minimally adequate yet restricted range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety with subordinate clauses introduced by 'Since' and 'whenever'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as 'which is not collected by the system and it causing difficulties' (faulty coordination and tense), 'affecting to me' (unnecessary preposition), and 'so we have more clean and neat neighbourhood' (missing article). These errors cause occasional minor strain for the reader, though they do not impede overall communication. Control of grammar aligns best with the Band 5.5 descriptors.

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

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