Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

This is to bring to your kind notice that I, Mehakdeep is writing on behalf of the neighbours about the topic of malfunctioning of garbage collection system in our area naming Wynadotte Street East.

From the last few weeks, we have being noticing the lack of responsibities of the workers in how to properly handle the collection process of different kind of waste as well as missing some weeks of garbage collection. Due to this practice, there have been huge spills of garbage left and huge chucks of garbage left out for days.

Moreover, this has also brought upon alot of health issues in the area and effected alot of elderly as well as childrens resulting in them suffering from some serious health concerns. Therefore, we would like you to take some actions like proper training about handling waste and teaching them how to drive or talking with the employees to resolve this issue.

We will be highly grateful if you look after this issue and resolve it as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Mehakdeep Kaur

Representative of Wynadotte Street East

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all the required bullet points of the task. The writer describes the malfunctioning garbage collection system by mentioning missing collection weeks and spills of waste on Wynadotte Street East. The impact on the local community is also clearly articulated, noting health issues affecting the elderly and children. Furthermore, practical suggestions are provided regarding employee training and communication. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed rather than fully extended, such as the specific details of the health concerns. This positions the response comfortably in the middle band, as all three parts of the prompt are addressed with a clear and appropriate formal letter format and a suitable tone from beginning to end.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introducing the complaint to describing the consequences and finally offering suggestions. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct points, such as separating the description of the problem from its health impacts. Cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Therefore', and 'From the last few weeks' are employed to link ideas, though some referencing and mechanical linking feel slightly repetitive or awkward at times, such as the repetitive use of 'huge' and 'garbage'. Overall, the message flows well and the reader can easily follow the sequence of ideas and the writer's purpose, reflecting a solid command of organisational structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the core issues of the garbage collection failure. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'malfunctioning', 'responsibities', and 'representative', demonstrating an effort to expand lexical range. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'alot' instead of 'a lot', 'responsibities' instead of 'responsibilities', 'chucks' instead of 'chunks', and the misuse of 'effected' instead of 'affected'. These inaccuracies and occasional awkward phrasing show characteristics of a mid-level band, where the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey meaning despite spelling slips and minor lexical inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to vary grammatical structures with clauses introduced by words like 'due to' and 'resulting in'. However, there are several grammatical errors present, such as subject-verb agreement issues in 'Mehakdeep is writing', tense errors in 'we have being noticing', and prepositional inaccuracies in 'From the last few weeks' instead of 'For the last few weeks'. While these errors occur throughout the text, they rarely impede communication, and the meaning of the letter remains clear. This balance of mixed structures and occasional grammatical inaccuracies places the writing securely within this band.

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