Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-06

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I hope you are doing well. It had been a ten days our garbage collection area is not working properly. I am writing to inform you this problem.

Initially, it was working properly, but now from 10 days we had many problems including overload garbage, many people throw their sandals or boots there. We do not know materials were trapped there.

It affects us and my neighbours many way such as we are living near by garbage, the smell of rubbish affects our sleep and work. Many children do not concentrate properly on the studies. As we decided to organised a workshop in our area, but we cancelled it because of the smell.

We can give you suggestions about the problem. For example, firstly it is overloaded we need to clean it, try to tell people what should be put in the rubbish area.

I hope you will understand me. I believe you will take an action as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

Rajandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully cover all parts of the prompt by describing the issues with the rubbish collection, explaining how it impacts you and your neighbours, and offering practical suggestions. However, some aspects are developed more fully than others. For instance, the description of how the system is failing mentions that 'it had been a ten days our garbage collection area is not working properly', but the details regarding the rubbish and dumped items remain somewhat unclear. Similarly, the explanation of the effects—such as the disturbance to sleep and the cancellation of a local workshop—presents relevant ideas, but these points are slightly under-developed rather than extended clearly throughout. To reach a higher level, you should ensure that every bullet point is explored thoroughly with richer detail and clearer explanations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement, and you have made a clear attempt to structure your response using separate paragraphs for each part of the prompt, beginning appropriately with 'Dear Sir,' and ending with 'Yours faithfully,'. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. For instance, transitioning between ideas feels abrupt at times, such as moving from the description of the problem directly to the impacts without smooth linking words. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'we do not know materials were trapped there.' To improve, you should focus on using cohesive devices more naturally and ensuring that your sentences flow logically from one to the next to guide the reader seamlessly through your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary to complete the task, using common terms related to daily life and the local council. However, noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling appear throughout the letter, which can impede communication. For example, expressions like 'overload garbage' instead of 'overloaded garbage' or 'overwhelming amount of garbage', and the awkward phrasing 'we do not know materials were trapped there,' highlight limitations in lexical control. Additionally, words like 'organised' contain minor inaccuracies in context. To achieve a higher score, you need to incorporate less common lexical items with greater precision, pay closer attention to collocations, and ensure that your word forms accurately match the grammatical context of your sentences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You display a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms in your letter. However, frequent errors in verb tenses, prepositions, and sentence structures persist. For instance, the opening sentence 'It had been a ten days our garbage collection area is not working properly' contains errors in tense usage and articles. Other grammatical issues include incorrect prepositions or missing elements, such as 'affects us and my neighbours many way' and 'try to tell people what should be put in the rubbish area.' While these errors rarely completely obscure your meaning, they are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve your grammar score, you should focus on mastering basic verb tenses, article usage, and ensuring accurate prepositional patterns within your sentences.

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

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