Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-31

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter because the system for garbage collection is not working properly from few weeks. Due to this, people are facing breathing problem in my neighbourhood.

There are fourteen houses at our street, and we all are using the same garbage spot. Because of rainy season, there was no maintanenance done to the system and it stopped working. The system is not giving the signals to the trash company to pick the garbage on time.

Due to the bulk of garbage, there is lot of smell in our society, which affected the enviroment, my family and theneighbourhood. Everybody is suffering from the health issues. They are unable to breath properly, and cannot breathe the fresh air from outside.

I would like to suggest some solutions for this problem. In order to get rid of this problem, a specialised IT team should be provided to maintain the system, and the trash company should personally visit at garbage spot after a week to collect the rubbish.

Kind regards,

Jaskaran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points: it explains that the collection system has stopped working, describes the effects on residents, and proposes maintenance and more frequent collection. The problem is made reasonably clear through the shared garbage spot and the system failing to signal the company. The health and environmental effects are also relevant, though “Everybody is suffering from the health issues” is broad and would be stronger with a specific example. Your proposed solutions are clear, but visiting “after a week” may not be frequent enough given the current build-up. To strengthen the response further, explain the collection delay or its consequences more precisely and make the requested action more specific, such as asking the council to arrange an immediate collection and regular checks.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression: you introduce the complaint, explain how the system fails, describe its effects, and then suggest solutions. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Due to this” and “In order to get rid of this problem” help connect the ideas. This is a coherent arrangement, but some connections are repetitive or slightly mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “Due to” to introduce consequences. The sentence beginning “Due to the bulk of garbage” also combines several effects without clearly separating them. Use a wider range of linking expressions and make the relationship between the smell, environmental impact, and health problems more explicit. The closing is appropriate for a formal letter.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the complaint, including “garbage collection,” “trash company,” “maintain the system,” and “collect the rubbish.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, which makes parts of the letter less natural. For example, “breathing problem” and “lot of smell” are not idiomatic in this context, while “the system is not giving the signals” is an awkward way to describe a failure to notify the company. There are also spelling errors in “maintanenance” and “enviroment,” and “theneighbourhood” appears joined together. Aim for precise, natural phrases such as “collection service,” “foul odour,” and “notify the waste contractor,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes some complex sentence forms, such as “Because of rainy season, there was no maintanenance done to the system and it stopped working,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited, and errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms occur often enough to affect fluency. Examples include “from few weeks” instead of “for a few weeks,” “There are fourteen houses at our street” instead of “on our street,” and “which affected the enviroment” where the tense does not fit the surrounding present situation. The sentence “Everybody is suffering from the health issues” also uses an unnecessary article. Practise accurate articles, prepositions, and tense consistency, and vary sentence patterns while checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.