Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-22

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 complaint about the garbage pickup system in my locality, as It is creating issues for me and my neighbourhood.

I am residing near the Fraser Highway, 145 street and 89 Avenue. Wednesday is the fix day for rubbish collection in this area; however, from last few months, there is a problem with the truck who come to pick up the waste materials. During collection time, they left some wastage, which people backed in the extra garbage bags. Moreover, it is noticed by everyone nearest my house that if someone late by few second to put the bins outside, they denie to empty them.

I want to say that people in my area facing numerous problems including my family. The main cause is dirty smell which which impacts our everyday lives, even we are avoiding going outside without having important work.

It would be appreciated if you could resolve this issue by giving strict orders to the colllection agency regarding their irregular services and impatient behaviour so that they can improve their work by making fix schedule and cooperate with our local people.

Thank you for consideration. I look forward to your prompt action to solve this problem.

Yours faithfully,

Amit kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You successfully covered all parts of the prompt. You described how the rubbish collection system is not working properly, mentioning that workers leave waste behind and refuse to empty bins if residents are slightly late. You also explained the impact on you and your neighbours, specifically the dirty smell and the disruption to everyday life. Finally, you suggested what should be done by asking the council to give strict orders to the collection agency to establish a fixed schedule and improve their behavior. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council, and your purpose is clear from the beginning. There are no missing bullet points, and the ideas are developed sufficiently to meet the requirements of a Band 6.5 or 7.0 task response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

Your letter follows a clear logical organization with an appropriate opening greeting and a standard closing. You used paragraphing reasonably well to separate your points, such as placing the description of the problem, the impacts, and the suggestions into distinct sections. However, there are some flaws in cohesion and referencing. For instance, using 'who' instead of 'which' or 'that' for the rubbish truck in 'the truck who come' disrupts the flow, and referencing is sometimes a bit repetitive ('people in my area', 'local people'). Cohesive devices are used, but they can be somewhat mechanical (e.g., 'Moreover', 'It would be appreciated'). Overall, the letter has a coherent overall arrangement that allows the reader to follow your points without significant difficulty, corresponding to a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'locality', 'neighbourhood', 'waste materials', and 'irregular services'. However, there are several word choice errors and awkward collocations that prevent a higher score. For example, you wrote 'I am writing to complaint' instead of 'complain', 'fix day' instead of 'fixed day', and 'backed in the extra garbage bags' instead of 'bagged up'. You also wrote 'dirty smell' instead of 'unpleasant odor' or 'foul smell'. While these errors do not impede communication, they highlight the limitations in lexical precision and word form control. This places your performance solidly within the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempted a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Wednesday is the fix day for rubbish collection in this area; however, from last few months, there is a problem with the truck who come to pick up the waste materials.' However, your writing contains frequent grammatical and punctuation errors. Examples include tense inconsistencies ('from last few months, there is' instead of 'for the past few months, there has been'), subject-verb agreement errors ('they denie'), missing prepositions ('if someone late by few second'), and double words ('which which'). Punctuation and capitalization are also faulty in places, such as 'Amit kaur'. These errors require the reader to occasionally decode your intended meaning, pointing clearly to a Band 5.5 level of grammatical accuracy.

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

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