Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

The purpose of my writing today is the serious concern of garbage collection which is not working properly in East area.

Normally, the rubbish collection day for my area is every Tuesday, but it has been a month since no garbage has been collected. Every household in this area puts their garbage bins outside on the registered day of collection, nobody comes to gather it though.

There is huge amount of garbage which is leftover on the pathways, spreading here and there on the streets and disturbing the traffic and walkers. Moreover, it is spreading harmful diseases such as malaria and jaundice because of mosquitoes and flies around it. All my neighbours are also suffering from the same situation.

It's our kind request to please put your efforts for the solution of litter in our area. Neighbours who have their trolleys are willing to help the garbage collectors with their own vehicles.

Thank you.

Your's sincerely,

Aman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that Tuesday collections have stopped for a month, describe rubbish obstructing pathways and affecting residents, and ask the council to act. The specific collection schedule and the offer of neighbours’ trolleys make the complaint relevant and give it a clear purpose. The effects are also supported with examples, including traffic disruption and concerns about mosquitoes and flies. To make the response more fully developed, clarify what action you want the council to take—for example, arrange an immediate collection and provide a reliable schedule or report missed pickups. The offer of residents’ vehicles is helpful, but it could be framed as a secondary option rather than the main proposed solution.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a sensible progression: the collection failure is described first, its effects are explained next, and a request for action comes near the end. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, while connectors such as “Moreover” and “though” show relationships between ideas. The overall arrangement is coherent, and the reader can follow the complaint without difficulty. Some linking is less natural or precise, however: “though” at the end of the second paragraph feels awkward, and “All my neighbours are also suffering from the same situation” repeats the point without adding much. A more direct transition into the request, followed by a specific action, would make the progression smoother and the cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “collection,” “pathways,” “harmful diseases,” and “solution.” These choices communicate the problem and its effects clearly, and the meaning remains understandable throughout. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the serious concern of garbage collection,” “gather it,” and “solution of litter.” “Registered day” is also not the most natural way to describe the scheduled collection day. Aim for conventional phrases used in council correspondence, such as “missed collections,” “collect the rubbish,” and “resolve the problem.” More precise vocabulary would make the letter sound more fluent and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “Every household … puts their garbage bins outside …, nobody comes” and the cause introduced by “because of.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. In the opening, “The purpose of my writing today is the serious concern” has an unclear sentence structure; a direct statement such as “I am writing to complain about…” would be more controlled. The sentence beginning “There is huge amount” needs an article, and “it has been a month since no garbage has been collected” uses an awkward tense pattern. Review articles, sentence boundaries, and tense choices, while retaining the range of sentence structures you attempt.

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