Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-28

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 am writing to complain about the garbage collection system in our local area. This system is not working properly and it is causing problems for us and our neighbours.

Firstly, the garbage van does not come regularly to pick up waste from the houses and there is no fixed time of their arrival also in our area. Moreover, there used to be many dustbin at every corner of the streets before, and now half of them are stolen and some are broken.

Due to this, the garbage thrown in the dustbins are falling outside and domestic wastes are also stored at houses. Open garbage lying on ground creates flies and mosquitos creates diseases like dangue.

To address this issue, I would like to suggest to ensure that waste management company should make a fix schedule to collect garbage and also ask them to place enough dustbins at every streets. Let us know if you need more information regarding this and appreciate your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Kush

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points: it explains irregular collections and missing or damaged bins, describes consequences such as waste accumulating at homes and attracting disease-carrying insects, and proposes a fixed collection schedule and replacement bins. The purpose is clear from the opening complaint, and the suggestions are relevant. The effects on neighbours are mentioned, although they could be supported with a more specific example, and the proposed actions would be stronger if you explained who should arrange them or how quickly. Overall, the response covers the task clearly and develops its main ideas, but some details remain general rather than fully elaborated.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: the opening states the complaint, the next paragraph describes collection and bin problems, the following paragraph explains their effects, and the final paragraph offers solutions. Connectors such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “Due to this” help show these relationships, while the closing is appropriate for a formal letter. To make the flow more polished, avoid relying on a sequence of explicit linking phrases and connect related details more smoothly. For example, the missing bins and the resulting rubbish on the ground could be linked directly in the same explanation. The final request for further information and thanks also feels slightly abrupt after the proposed actions; a more direct closing request would improve the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “garbage collection system,” “domestic wastes,” “dustbins,” and “waste management company,” so the reader can understand the issue. However, the range and control are limited by several inaccurate or unnatural choices. “Fix schedule” is not the natural form here, and “garbage thrown in the dustbins are falling outside” is awkwardly expressed. Spelling errors in “mosquitos” and “dangue” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise collocations such as “regular collection schedule,” “overflowing bins,” and “dengue fever.” Varying repeated references to garbage with terms such as “household waste” or “rubbish” would also make the vocabulary more flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes some complex sentence forms, such as “Due to this, the garbage thrown in the dustbins are falling outside,” and the overall meaning remains understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “the garbage … are falling” uses a plural verb with an uncountable noun, while “there used to be many dustbin” needs a plural noun. The phrase “there is no fixed time of their arrival also in our area” has an awkward grammatical structure, and “flies and mosquitos creates diseases” contains a subject–verb agreement error. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, and use a wider range of accurately controlled sentence patterns.

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