Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-26

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)

Hi Sir or Madam,

I am Kai, one of the citizen of Jury town. recently, we have issue with the garbage disposal machine will need your attention with it.

The disposal recently created a very odd sounds making the machine not functioning properly, therefore someone has turned it off and it unable to turn on again. We assume that the machine might be need to proper maintainance or some components need to be repaired.

As this situation has been effected for a week, all the rubbish just placed outside the machine, it created a lot of stinky smell and attracted lot of flies around. It is affecting the neighbours here.

there will be great that someone from council please arrange a few rubbish truck to handle the rubbish collection for the town until the machine back to functionning and please arrange workers to clean the mess around machine area as well. we would be happy to assist you as well, so dont worries about that.

Hope to receive your respond again.

Thank you,

Kai

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three points: you explain that the collection machine has stopped working, describe the resulting smell and flies, and ask the council to arrange temporary rubbish trucks and clean the area. These details make the complaint relevant and give the reader a clear sense of the problem. The effects on neighbours are mentioned, but could be developed with a specific consequence, such as difficulty using the area or concerns about hygiene. Your proposed action is useful, though it would be clearer to request a repair or inspection explicitly rather than only suggesting that maintenance may be needed. Use the required opening, “Dear Sir or Madam,” and maintain a consistently formal tone in the closing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a sensible sequence: it introduces the fault, explains its effects, and then proposes action. Linking expressions such as “therefore” and “As this situation has been…” help show relationships between events, and the paragraphs broadly separate the main points. This meets the lower-band expectation of an overall coherent arrangement and shows some progression. To make the organisation more polished, give each paragraph a clear focus and use transitions less mechanically. For example, the request for trucks and cleaning could be separated from the explanation of the machine fault. Capitalise the start of sentences consistently, and use a conventional closing so the letter’s structure is easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “garbage disposal,” “rubbish collection,” “stinky smell,” “flies,” and “components.” This gives you enough language to communicate the central problem, but several choices are inaccurate or informal, which limits precision and makes parts of the letter less natural. For example, “odd sounds” and “stinky smell” could be expressed more appropriately in a formal complaint, while “respond” is not the right noun in “receive your respond.” There are also spelling and word-form errors, including “maintainance” and “functionning.” Aim to use precise, formal collocations consistently, especially when describing the fault and requesting council action.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a cause-and-effect sentence beginning “therefore” and a conditional request about the machine returning to service. The main message remains understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction occur across the letter. For instance, “one of the citizen” needs a plural noun, and “the machine might be need” has an incorrect verb pattern. The sentence beginning “The disposal recently created…” also combines several clauses in a way that is difficult to control. Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then build longer sentences with clear subjects and verbs. Check capitalisation and punctuation at sentence boundaries as well.

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