Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter in connection with the rubish, which is not collected properly from my local area.

To provide some context, as I am a resident of Surrey, BC. I have noticed that your garbage system is not working properly. Likewise, you are collecting the rubish once in a week ,but due to the over population the bins are always overlaped with the garbage.

Furthermore, this problem have negative impacts on my near and dears beacuse this rubbish puts negative impact on the people's heath also, it causes many impacts on the environment to get polluted as well as many birds and animals also put their life in dangerous.

In some curcumstances, to overcome this issue possible measures should be taken. Society should follow the rules regarding this problem by providing different bins at thier homes also they should inform the local council if their bins are full with the garbage.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I hope you will take accept my request as soon as posible.

Yours faithfully,

Prabhjot Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you report that rubbish is collected only weekly and bins overflow, describe possible health and environmental effects, and suggest providing separate bins and contacting the council. The purpose is clear and the formal opening and closing suit a council letter. However, some points are less fully developed than others. For example, the effects on neighbours are stated broadly, without a specific example of how daily life is disrupted, and the proposed measures focus partly on residents rather than clearly asking the council to improve collection frequency or capacity. Make the requested council action explicit and explain how it would resolve the problem.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a coherent overall arrangement: the opening identifies the complaint, the following paragraphs describe the situation and its effects, and the final paragraph offers measures before closing politely. Connectors such as “Furthermore” and “To provide some context” help signal the stages of the message, and paragraphing is appropriate. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some features of stronger progression. However, a few links feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely, such as “Likewise” before the collection schedule. The sentence beginning “In some circumstances” also shifts awkwardly from the problem to solutions. Use simpler, more direct transitions and ensure each paragraph moves clearly from cause to effect to requested action.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main issue, including “garbage system,” “bins,” “environment,” and “local council.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “rubish,” “overlaped,” “heath,” and “curcumstances.” Some phrases are also unnatural or unclear, including “my near and dears,” “puts negative impact,” and “put their life in dangerous.” These choices may make the reader pause, even though the general meaning can usually be inferred. Build a more accurate set of collocations for a formal complaint, and check spelling and word forms carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sentence explaining the effects with “as well as” and a conditional idea about informing the council. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, and verb forms sometimes make the message difficult to follow. For example, “as I am a resident of Surrey, BC” is an incomplete construction after “To provide some context,” while “this problem have negative impacts” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. “I hope you will take accept my request” also contains an incorrect verb construction. Practise building complete sentences with one clear main clause, then check agreement and verb patterns. More accurate control of these structures would make your ideas easier to understand.

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

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