Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-03

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 articulating this letter regarding Garbage collection in Countryside area is not working effectively as a result locals are facing many issues.

The main issue, the garbage collection truck comes on any weekday without informing which causes to miss the collection of garbage from many locals for weeks. This leads to awful smell in the locality. Other issue, the garbage collectors left the bins in between the roads instead of roadsides that can cause an accident.

I would, therefore, suggest you to create a system or a online page on which people get to know about the rubbish collection day in one or two days in advance. Also, the collectors should be trained properly to put the bins on their locations so that no one hurt themselves. Hope you will this matter as soon as possible.

Waiting for your prompt revert.

Kind Regards,

Jaspreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all parts of the prompt by describing the irregular rubbish collection schedule, explaining the negative impacts such as the awful smell and safety hazards from misplaced bins, and suggesting actionable solutions like creating an online notification system and training staff. All bullet points are addressed, demonstrating a clear purpose and a mostly appropriate formal tone suitable for a letter to a local council. However, certain ideas, particularly the explanation of the health and safety impacts, remain somewhat general and lack deeper extension, which keeps the response within a solid mid-level range. To reach the next level, the writer should aim to expand on the consequences of the missed collections and provide more detailed, fully supported proposals for resolving the council's logistical issues.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from describing the problem to discussing its effects and finally offering solutions. Paragraphing is utilised effectively to separate different points, and basic cohesive devices such as 'The main issue', 'Other issue', and 'I would, therefore, suggest' help guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the direct phrasing 'Other issue'. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to employ a wider and more flexible variety of cohesive devices and ensure smoother, more natural transitions between sentences and paragraphs without relying on formulaic structures.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task and demonstrates an attempt to communicate the main points clearly. The writer incorporates some less common functional phrases, such as 'garbage collection', 'awful smell', and 'prompt revert', though word choice and collocations occasionally show minor awkwardness, such as 'articulating this letter' instead of 'writing this letter', and 'put the bins on their locations'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate and do not impede communication. To move into a higher lexical band, the writer should incorporate a broader range of sophisticated, less common vocabulary with greater precision, ensuring natural collocation and stylistic appropriateness for formal correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied grammatical structures, such as relative clauses in 'bins... that can cause an accident' and conditional framing in 'so that no one hurt themselves'. However, there are notable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including missing articles ('an online page'), preposition errors ('in Countryside area'), and tense or agreement slips ('Hope you will this matter'). Despite these errors, meaning is generally clear and communication is rarely impeded. To attain a higher band, the writer must demonstrate better control over complex sentence patterns, ensure accurate article and preposition usage, and reduce the frequency of grammatical slips.

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

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