Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-11-01

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 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are going well. I am writing this letter today for describing the issues we are facing becuase of rubbish collection in our area. The garbage is getting collected so more and the local council is not working properly for collecting its not getting picked up on time. And the garbage smell is so bad everytime, and kids are also playing in the local area they will be affected or get disease because of the garbage.

I suggest you should tell your employee to be careful for pick up time everyday, and make it clean after picking up the garbage for the area, so it will not affect the space and local area around that zone. I hope this email finds you well and you will take better action on this and take care of this issue as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Vaishnavi Gajjar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you report that rubbish is not collected on time, describe the bad smell and possible effects on children, and ask the council to improve collection and clean the area. These are relevant details and the purpose of the letter is clear. However, the description of the collection problem is difficult to understand in places, especially “The garbage is getting collected so more” and “the local council is not working properly for collecting.” The effects on neighbours are also only briefly explained, and the proposed action could be more specific—for example, requesting a regular collection schedule or a clean-up of accumulated waste. Developing these points more clearly would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, a paragraph describing the problem and its effects, a paragraph suggesting action, and a closing. The ideas generally follow a sensible order, so the reader can identify the main purpose. However, several points are crowded into long sentences, particularly the first body paragraph, where the collection issue, smell and children’s safety are joined together. The repeated use of “and” makes the connections feel mechanical, while “this” in the closing does not specify the problem clearly. Separate the main points into shorter sentences and use clearer links such as “As a result” or “In addition.” This would improve progression and make the relationships between ideas easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the basic issue, including “rubbish collection,” “garbage,” “picked up,” “smell” and “affected.” The reader can understand that waste is accumulating and causing concern. However, the range is limited and some choices or combinations are unnatural, such as “getting collected so more,” “for pick up time,” and “take better action.” The spelling error “becuase” also affects accuracy. Aim for more precise phrases that describe the situation and the requested response, such as “waste is not being collected regularly” and “take prompt action.” Using a wider set of natural collocations would make the letter clearer and more appropriate for a formal request.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the overall message remains understandable. However, some sentence structures are faulty, especially where several clauses are joined together: “The local council is not working properly for collecting its not getting picked up on time” lacks a clear grammatical connection between its ideas. There are also problems with verb forms and sentence construction in “I am writing this letter today for describing” and “kids are also playing … they will be affected.” The opening “I hope you are going well” is not formed naturally. Use a clear purpose structure such as “I am writing to describe,” and divide complex ideas into complete sentences with accurate clause links. This would improve control while retaining variety.

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