Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-04

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 am writing this letter to inform you that the garbage system is not been working for a few weeks and is causing trouble for me and my neighbours.

Usually, the garbage is collected twice a week; however, it's been two weeks since the garbage was last collected, which has caused the garbage bins to overflow.

Furthermore, this has caused a lot of trouble for my neighbours and me. To explain, there is a bad smell from the trash, and flies spread all around the area. This is also prone to many serous diseases.

I would like to share some solutions which can be done to solve this problem. Firstly, please make sure to set a scheduled time for trash collection and impose fines on the company when they fail to collect the garbage.

Yours sincerely

Monika Noor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all the bullet points required by the task prompt. You clearly described how the rubbish collection system is failing by mentioning that it has been two weeks since the last collection and the bins are overflowing. You also explained the impact on you and your neighbours well, noting the bad smell and spread of flies. Furthermore, you suggested practical solutions, such as setting a scheduled time and imposing fines. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed, particularly the explanation regarding diseases, which lacks specific elaboration. Additionally, the response falls short of the 150-word minimum by being 10 words too short, which prevents it from achieving a higher mark.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression from introducing the problem to describing its effects and finally offering solutions. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate different aspects of the letter, such as the problem, the consequences, and the recommendations. Cohesive devices are employed adequately, with transition words like 'however', 'furthermore', and 'firstly' helping to guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or basic. To reach the next band level, you could make the transitions between sentences smoother and ensure that logical relationships are signaled with greater variety and subtlety.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your message about the rubbish collection issue. You attempt some less common vocabulary items and phrases, such as 'overflowing', 'bad smell', and 'impose fines'. However, there are a few word choice and collocation inaccuracies that show limitations in precision. For instance, referring to 'the garbage system' is less natural than 'the rubbish collection service', and phrases like 'spread all around the area' could be expressed with more sophisticated phrasing. Spelling is generally accurate, and errors do not impede communication, but expanding your range of less common lexical items with appropriate collocations is necessary to secure a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

Your writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a reasonable control of grammar. You successfully use various structures, such as concessive clauses with 'however' and conditional ideas within your suggestions. However, there are some noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, most notably the verb form error 'is not been working' instead of 'has not been working', and the minor punctuation oversight in the salutation where you wrote 'Dear Sir,' despite the prompt specifying 'Dear Sir or Madam,'. These errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure your meaning. To improve further, ensure greater accuracy in verb tenses and auxiliary verbs when forming complex sentences.

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

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