Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-25

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,

Hope you are doing well.

My name is Harman. The reason of writing this letter to let you know about the gathering system of the garbage at my location that is in ludhiana city.

Firstly, when your employees come to collect rubbish, they do not pick it properly. Workers leave some of the garbage at the location and when society members said them about this they made excuse that we have to reserve some space for picking next garbage.

Moreover, this issue has been affecting to me and my neighbours very badly. As litter place there for long time then it emit extremly worse smell that becomes the reason of getting sick. Thats not only harmful only for people but also for animals because straw animals eat this then gets die.

Furthermore, several aspects can be seen that helps to overcome this problem. A giant truck should be provided to workers so that they do not face any problem to collect all the garbage. Also, plent of employees must be hired to accompany different jobs.

I hope, you will take it into your consideration and come with serious decision. Looking response from your side.

With respect,

Harman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you describe workers leaving rubbish behind, explain the smell and health risks to residents and animals, and propose a larger truck and more staff. These details make the purpose of the complaint clear. The effects on neighbours are relevant, although the claim that animals die after eating the rubbish would be stronger with a little explanation or a specific example. Your proposed solutions are also somewhat general: explain how a larger truck would help, and ask the council to ensure workers collect all rubbish on each visit. The letter has an appropriate formal purpose, but the opening and closing could be more conventionally phrased for a council complaint. Overall, the task is covered, with some ideas less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: the opening states its purpose, followed by paragraphs describing the collection problem, its effects, and possible solutions. Sequencers such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “Furthermore” help the reader follow this progression. However, relying on these formulaic transitions makes the links between ideas somewhat mechanical. Within the first body paragraph, the workers’ explanation is difficult to follow because the reported speech is not clearly separated from the writer’s account. The final request and sign-off are also abrupt: “Looking response from your side” does not smoothly complete the letter. Use clearer sentence links and a more direct closing request to make the progression more natural and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the complaint, including “collect rubbish,” “garbage,” “smell,” and “employees.” There are also attempts at more formal or varied wording, such as “overcome this problem” and “harmful.” However, several inaccurate word choices and collocations make parts of the letter awkward or unclear: “gathering system” does not convey rubbish collection naturally, “reserve some space for picking next garbage” is difficult to interpret, and “straw animals” is not the intended term. Spelling errors such as “extremly” and “plent” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural phrases commonly used in formal complaints, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a conditional clause in “when your employees come to collect rubbish” and a reason clause beginning “because.” This shows some range, but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the meaning harder to follow. For example, “The reason of writing this letter to let you know” is missing a main verb, while “it emit” and “animals eat this then gets die” contain problems with verb agreement and sentence structure. There are also errors in articles, prepositions, and punctuation, as in “I hope, you will take it into your consideration.” Practise building complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement and clause structure before using longer constructions.

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

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