Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-23

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 hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter regarding waste collection system that is not working properly in our area from few weeks.

The day in our neighbourhood for collection was used to be Friday morning but they changed it to Thursday without telling anyone. The garbage starts smelling and was covered with flies, which causes many health problems to people. The another point we noticed is that they throw all the bins very rudely after dumping the garbage in the trucks and results in breaking them. It is creating various problems in our area like health, cleaning, sorting and many more.

I request you to look into this matter and ask employees about problem they are facing which leads to this behaviour. I hope you will understand our situation and will take an effective action.

Thank you for your time and consideration

Yours faithfully

Sukh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The candidate successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. First, the issue with the rubbish collection system is described, specifically noting that the collection day was unexpectedly changed from Friday to Thursday. Second, the impact on neighbours is explained clearly, mentioning unpleasant smells, flies, and resultant health problems. Finally, a suggestion is provided to investigate employee behaviour and take effective action. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a local council, opening correctly with 'Dear Sir or Madam,' although slightly modified by the student to 'Dear Sir,'. All parts of the task are adequately addressed, and the ideas are relevant, meriting a solid band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure typical of a formal correspondence, moving from the introduction of the problem to its effects, and finally to a request for action. Paragraphing is used reasonably well to separate distinct points. However, cohesion is occasionally faulty or mechanical; for instance, the transition 'The another point' is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow. Additionally, referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'ask employees about problem they are facing which leads to this behaviour' where the connection to the rough handling of bins could be smoother. Overall, the organizational structure is apparent, but cohesive devices need more precision.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating key concepts such as 'neighbourhood', 'health problems', and 'consideration'. However, there are noticeable lexical and collocation errors throughout the response. For instance, the phrase 'from few weeks' lacks the necessary determiner and preposition ('for a few weeks'), 'The another point' contains a redundant article, and 'effective action' could be expressed more naturally as 'appropriate action'. Despite these limitations, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without severely impeding communication, placing the response firmly at band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The day in our neighbourhood for collection was used to be Friday morning but they changed it to Thursday without telling anyone.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors in tense and article usage. Examples include 'waste collection system' missing an article ('the waste collection system'), 'was used to be' instead of 'used to be', and 'The garbage starts smelling and was covered' showing inconsistent tense shifting from present to past. Furthermore, 'results in breaking them' lacks a clear subject. These errors occur regularly but rarely impede overall communication, supporting a band 6.0 rating.

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