Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-15

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform you on the difficulties we have been experiencing concerning the garbage collection system here in Ojuelegba.

The neighboring residents in Shomolu area come to our own refuse site to dump their trash and this has been going on for three months. The continuous process has led to an overflow of our refuse bins and the trucks that come in weekly to offload it can no longer offload all.

Due to this, garbage is being left behind for weeks. The wind blows some away from the refuse site into our backyards and driveways. The dogs are eating from the refuse and are now coming down with different illnesses.

Most importantly, the refuse has polluted the air.

Our area now has a consistent bad smell as a result of the waste that is always left behind.

I suggest that the council offers a solution to this quickly before it gets out of hand. The refuse disposal system in Shomolu should be looked into and corrected. Residents from the area should be stopped from coming to our neighborhood to dispose their trash. This will enable our garbage collection system to go back to normal.

I look forward to a response on this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Trinitas Opara.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three requirements clearly: it explains that residents from Shomolu use the local refuse site, describes the resulting overflow and incomplete weekly collections, and outlines effects on the neighbourhood. The consequences are supported with specific details, including rubbish blowing into “backyards and driveways,” dogs becoming ill, and persistent bad smells. The proposed actions—investigating Shomolu’s disposal system and preventing its residents from using the site—are relevant and give the council a clear direction. This fits a strong response in which the task is fully addressed and ideas are extended. To make the request more fully developed, specify practical council measures, such as increasing collection frequency or providing a separate disposal point, rather than relying mainly on a general call for a solution.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression: the opening states the purpose, the next paragraphs explain the collection problem and its effects, and the final body paragraph proposes action before closing politely. Paragraphing helps distinguish these functions, and links such as “Due to this,” “Most importantly,” and “as a result” guide the reader through the explanation. However, some connections are a little mechanical, and the relationship between the overflow and the trucks’ inability to remove everything could be expressed more smoothly. The repeated references to “the refuse” and “the area” also make cohesion less flexible. Use a wider range of natural referencing and link the proposed actions directly to the specific problems described.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate and includes some useful topic-specific language, such as “overflow,” “refuse bins,” “dispose,” and “polluted the air.” These choices make the situation understandable and help maintain an appropriately formal tone. There are, however, several imprecise or unnatural collocations: “inform you on the difficulties,” “offload” for removing rubbish from bins, and “coming down with different illnesses” in reference to dogs. “The continuous process” is also vague, while “bad smell” is less precise than the rest of the description. These do not prevent understanding, but they limit the naturalness and precision of the vocabulary. Aim for more idiomatic combinations and specific terms when describing collection failures and their consequences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter uses a useful mix of sentence forms, including the complex explanation “The continuous process has led to an overflow … and the trucks … can no longer offload all” and the conditional phrase “before it gets out of hand.” Most sentences are clear and several are accurately controlled, including the descriptions of rubbish being left behind and the air being polluted. A few grammatical choices remain awkward: “inform you on” uses an unsuitable preposition, and “the trucks … can no longer offload all” leaves the object unclear. The sentence beginning “The neighboring residents … come” also shifts from the present situation to “this has been going on” without a fully smooth tense relationship. Review preposition patterns, complete objects, and tense consistency to make the otherwise clear structures more precise.

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