Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-29

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

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this to bring your attention towards the problem which our society is facing from the organization who collects the litter.

To be honest, the people which are hired under rubbish collection system are not focused towards their work. Every weekend on the garbage pick up day they always left over the garbage in the bins. Along with this, despite of having fixed days and time, they always come late and shift their days for rubbish pickup.

It has adverse affects on every individual who lives in the society. Firstly, the bad smell from the garbage arise the level of flies and other mosquitoes, which creates health diseases. Secondly, many people prefer to throw their grabage themselves to dump areas instead of waiting for garbage pickers to collect,which result in wastage of time.

There are several ways through which this problem can be overcome. First of all, proper proper training should be provided by the company, which help them to perform their duties effiectively. Moreover, there should be fixed timing and days for garbage collection so that people not have to wait and garbage should be done properly.

I look forward to a positive and prompt response.

Your sincerely,

Parneet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requested points: it describes missed collections and changing pickup days, explains the effects through odour, insects and residents taking rubbish to dump areas, and proposes staff training and a fixed schedule. The purpose is clear from the opening, and the closing appropriately requests a response. The effects and remedies are relevant, but some are stated broadly rather than fully explained—for example, the health impact is mentioned without describing a specific consequence, and the training proposal could be linked more directly to the missed collections. To strengthen the response further, develop these points with a little more precise detail and use the requested salutation, “Dear Sir or Madam,” rather than “Dear Sir.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear sequence: the opening identifies the complaint, the next paragraph describes collection failures, and the following paragraphs cover their effects and possible solutions. Signposting such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Moreover” helps readers follow the points, and the final sentence provides a suitable close. The progression is generally logical, although some linking is mechanical and a few connections are unclear. For instance, “Along with this” introduces a second collection problem, while “which result in wastage of time” does not clearly connect the residents’ actions to the stated consequence. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make references between cause and effect more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses enough vocabulary to communicate the complaint and its consequences, including “adverse effects,” “fixed timing,” and “perform their duties effectively.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “bring your attention towards” would be more naturally expressed as “draw your attention to,” and “arise the level of flies” does not convey the intended increase clearly. There are also spelling errors such as “grabage” and “effiectively,” and “proper proper” is an unnecessary repetition. Aim for accurate, natural phrases associated with council services, such as “missed collections,” “overflowing bins,” and “pest infestation,” and proofread carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including a sentence beginning “despite of having fixed days and time” and a cause-and-effect sentence about the smell and insects. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction recur. For example, “the people which are hired” needs a more suitable relative pronoun and agreement, while “they always left over the garbage” has an incorrect verb form. In “so that people not have to wait,” the auxiliary construction is incomplete. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas harder to follow. Practise building accurate clauses first, then combine them, checking subject–verb agreement and verb forms.

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