Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-07

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 writing to complaint about garbage collection is not work properly in Monica Drive which is causing several problems to our locality.

Firstly, snow removal team is not coming every week. Garbage truck always come on the scheduled days but because of the less space they did not get access. As a result they have to go back without collecting garbage.

Now this garbage is affecting me and my neighbours everyday. We are not getting proper space to walk through the walkway. Garbage is piling up and the unpleasant odour giving our neighbourhood very hard time to survive. In addition, Mosquitoes are increasing day by day and this can increase the risk of health related problems.

Our request to the council, arrange the snow removal facilities first it will automatically solve our main problem. Please look into it and provide us appropriate solution.

Yours faithfully,

Gourav Saini

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you explain that snow clearance leaves too little access for the collection truck, describe the effects on residents, and ask the council to arrange snow removal. The letter’s purpose is clear and the details about blocked walkways, odour and mosquitoes make the complaint relevant. Some points, however, are less fully developed than others. For example, the collection problem could be explained more precisely—such as how often rubbish is missed or how long it remains—and the proposed solution is limited to arranging snow removal, without suggesting a temporary collection or a schedule to prevent recurrence. A little more specific support would make the request more persuasive and complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: the opening states the complaint, the following paragraphs explain the collection failure and its effects, and the final paragraph makes a request. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “As a result,” and “In addition” help show relationships between points. The progression is generally easy to follow, although some linking feels mechanical, and the opening paragraph combines the purpose and location in a sentence that is difficult to process. The final request would also connect more smoothly to the preceding explanation if you briefly summarised the practical action needed. Clearer sentence boundaries and more varied transitions would make the organisation feel more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the problem, including “garbage collection,” “scheduled days,” “piling up,” “unpleasant odour,” and “health related problems.” These choices make the situation understandable, and “odour” adds some appropriate formality. However, several noticeable word-choice and collocation errors reduce precision: “snow removal team” does not clearly identify the collection problem, “less space” is vague, and “hard time to survive” is an unnatural way to describe the impact. “Mosquitoes” is also capitalised unnecessarily mid-sentence. Aim for more precise civic-service vocabulary and natural collocations, such as “blocked access,” “missed collections,” and “pose a health risk.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the cause-and-effect construction “because of the less space they did not get access” and the sentence beginning “In addition.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “I am writing to complaint” uses the wrong verb form, “collection is not work properly” has an incorrect verb construction, and “Garbage truck always come” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence about the odour also lacks a clear grammatical structure. Review infinitives after “to,” present-tense agreement, articles, and sentence construction. More consistently accurate clauses would improve control while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.