Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-21

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,

I hope you are doing well. I belong to Sector 4 on the Northern area of city. I am writing this to bring your prior attention to an escalating serious issue in our locality regarding the waste collection.

Firstly, the entire society strictly follows the garbage calender provided by the municipal corporation. Our bin bags are left outside on the collection day only. However, most of the times the truck doesnot arrive to do the job. As a result, the garbage deteriorates in the environment attracting several skunks and squirrels. Secondly, we leave it untouched for another day hoping that the waste management team will finish their task but unfortunately, we have to resentfully use our personal vehicles to excrete the unwanted stuff. This not only allows the entry of insectes and pests to our belongings, but also contribute to ugliness of our roadways.

I kindly request your attention into this matter because if this obstacle is not retcified, our lives will turn into a detrimental one. To add, the collection routine should be revised and updated. The team supervisor should make sure that our society is particularly taken care of. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Shreya Jadav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requested points: you explain that the collection truck often fails to arrive, describe the effects on residents and the streets, and ask for the schedule to be revised and the supervisor to ensure the area is served. The purpose and formal tone are clear throughout. The consequences are supported with specific details, such as pests and residents using personal vehicles to dispose of waste. To make the response more fully developed, clarify the practical remedy—for example, request a reliable collection timetable, missed-collection follow-up, or an additional pickup. The closing request that the society be “particularly taken care of” is understandable but general; a precise action would strengthen the proposal.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall shape, moving from the reason for writing to the collection failures, their consequences, and a request for action. “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “As a result” help readers follow the sequence, and the formal opening and closing suit a council letter. However, the numbered transitions make the middle paragraph feel somewhat mechanical, and the relationship between leaving the rubbish for another day and using personal vehicles could be explained more smoothly. The final paragraph also combines urgency, a request to revise the routine, and a supervisor’s role without clearly prioritising them. Use more natural links and organise the proposed actions into a focused request to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “waste collection,” “municipal corporation,” “pests,” and “collection routine.” Some attempts at more formal or less common wording are inaccurate or unnatural, however. “Bring your prior attention” would be more idiomatically expressed as “draw your attention,” while “excrete the unwanted stuff” does not mean dispose of rubbish and sounds inappropriate here. There are also spelling errors such as “calender,” “doesnot,” “insectes,” and “retcified.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Prefer clear, natural terms over elaborate wording, and proofread spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and several sentences are controlled, including “As a result, the garbage deteriorates in the environment attracting several skunks and squirrels.” The meaning remains clear despite some grammatical slips. For example, “I belong to Sector 4 on the Northern area of city” has awkward article and preposition patterns; “This not only allows …, but also contribute” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “our lives will turn into a detrimental one” has an unclear singular/plural construction. The long sentence beginning “Secondly” would also benefit from clearer clause boundaries. Review agreement, articles, and sentence structure, while retaining the complex forms you already attempt.

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