Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to complain about the garbage collection system in my local area.

My name is Pranusha and I stay at Lynnwood drive, Oakville. Garbage truck will collect wastage in my community on every tuesday, unfortunately it was not collected yesterday and after a heavy wind in the afternoon all the recyclable wastage all over the road. I tried to reach the collection unit through phone but no one is answering the call.

Due to the continuous wind, few of the papers are flying and sticking to the car front glass, it's affecting the visibility of the road to the driver. It's need immediate attention, Please send the truck to collect garbage with cleaners to clean the waste from the road.

This is not the fist time we are facing the issue, it happened multiple times. Please make sure not to repeat the same problem in future.

Thank you for immediate attention to this matter.

Best regards,

Pranusha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three requirements: it reports that Tuesday’s collection was missed, explains that wind has scattered rubbish and papers are affecting drivers’ visibility, and asks the council to send a truck and cleaners. The complaint is clear and relevant, and the reference to repeated incidents adds useful context. This meets the core task well. To make the response more fully developed, explain the wider effect on neighbours more explicitly—for example, whether rubbish is accumulating near homes or creating a safety or hygiene concern—and give a more specific remedy, such as a reliable collection schedule or a way to report missed pickups. The request for immediate action is clear, but some supporting details remain brief or unclear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a sensible overall order: it introduces the complaint, describes the missed collection, explains its effects, and ends with a request and closing. Paragraph breaks help distinguish the main points, and phrases such as “Due to” and “This is not the first time” signal relationships between ideas. However, the central paragraph contains several points in a long sequence, and the connection between the missed pickup, the wind, and the scattered rubbish could be expressed more smoothly. Some transitions are abrupt, particularly the move from the phone call to the effects on drivers. Grouping the incident and its consequences more clearly, then placing the requested action in a separate paragraph, would make progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for making the complaint understandable, with relevant terms such as “garbage collection,” “recyclable,” “visibility,” and “immediate attention.” The writer also uses a suitably formal opening and closing. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, including “collect wastage,” “collection unit,” and “all the recyclable wastage all over the road.” There are also spelling and word-form slips, such as “fist” for “first.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the main problem, but they limit precision and naturalness. Use standard collocations for waste services and describe the scattered rubbish more directly to strengthen the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses both simple sentences and some longer structures, including the sentence beginning “Due to the continuous wind,” and the explanation of what happened after the missed collection. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity and control. For example, “Garbage truck will collect” needs an article and a more appropriate tense, while “it was not collected yesterday” shifts tense awkwardly in the same account. The clause “all the recyclable wastage all over the road” is incomplete, and “It’s need immediate attention” has an incorrect construction. Review articles, tense consistency, complete clauses, and sentence boundaries; these corrections would make the request more polished without changing its meaning.

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