Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-16

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

I am writing to complain about the poor rubish collectioin system in my area. This problem is continued for past few weeks .the workers do not collect the garbage on their schedule time because of that bins are getting overflowed which waste beingd left on the roads . altough it is necessary to collect once in a week but sometimes they do not collect 2-3 weeks .

This situation is creating several poroblems to me and society like the unpleasant smell because of that we are unable to open the doors or windows and get outside from homes or enjoy our surroundings . Added to this, it attracts the flies or mosquitos which may cause health problems . last but not least , streets looks dirty because of that it becomes difficult to live there.

I just want to suggest the council to take immediate steps to solve that issue . you should ensure that rubbish should be collected on time and arranges additional collections if necessary and provide more bins in bigger area and monitor service continuously.

yours faithfully

Jasleen

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requested points: you describe missed collections and overflowing bins, explain the effects through smell, insects and dirty streets, and ask the council to act. The complaint is clear and relevant throughout. You also give useful details, such as collections being delayed for two or three weeks, and propose several practical measures, including timely and additional collections and service monitoring. To strengthen the response further, develop the impact or recommendations with a little more explanation—for example, specify how often collections should occur or how the council could respond to the health concerns. The letter’s purpose and requested action are nevertheless clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a sensible overall progression: it introduces the complaint, describes its effects, and then makes recommendations. The paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “Added to this” and “last but not least” signal additional effects. This gives the letter a coherent structure. However, some linking is mechanical, and the long sentences joined by “because of that” make relationships between ideas less smooth. The effects paragraph would be clearer if each consequence were expressed in a separate sentence, while the recommendations could be presented in a more orderly sequence. The closing is present, but the greeting and sign-off conventions should be made consistent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the complaint, including “garbage,” “overflowed,” “unpleasant smell,” “health problems,” and “additional collections.” These choices make the situation understandable. However, spelling errors such as “rubish,” “collectioin,” “poroblems,” and “mosquitos” are noticeable, and several expressions are awkward or imprecise, including “schedule time,” “get outside from homes,” and “bigger area.” Some wording is also repetitive, particularly “because of that.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, such as “scheduled collection day,” “leave our homes,” and “a larger area.” This would make the vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a sentence explaining that missed collections cause bins to overflow and waste to remain on the roads. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to affect ease of reading. Examples include “This problem is continued for past few weeks,” “the streets looks dirty,” and “you should ensure that rubbish should be collected,” which show problems with tense, subject–verb agreement, and clause construction. Punctuation and capitalisation are also inconsistent, especially after full stops. Practise forming accurate sentences with past and present perfect forms, matching verbs to plural subjects, and separating complete ideas with full stops. These corrections would make your meaning clearer.

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

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