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
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madamsir/mam, I am writing this letter to bring a seriousdisquieting issue inof our locality to your attentionnotice regarding the waste disposallitter disposition in our town “Virgomoon”‘Virgomoon”. Our town has been suffering from a severe build-up of uncollected rubbisha scourge of undisposed garbage owing to the negligencelackadaisical nature of the waste collection committeecleanliness committee appointed by your council. The litter collection has always been a distressing concern for all local residentsall the locales, but the situation has now become intolerablethe water has passed up the breathing level now.
The dustbins in our town have failed to containfallen short of collecting the town's wastegarbage of the town so the garbageowing to which, the garbage is found scattered all over the streets. The stench from the wasteThe stench of the litter has made it utterly difficult for us to survive. Moreover, none of our relatives want to visit us. Our healthhealth conditions have worsened, and we can’t let it wreak havoc on our lives anymore.
Kindly take serious actionactions to address the committee's failuresagainst the formed committee and establish an effective waste collection systemarrange the proper waste disposal systems in our area.
Yours faithfully, Afrin
Why this response received Band 6.5
The complaint has a clear purpose, an appropriately formal stance, and relevant examples of how uncollected waste affects residents. Its effectiveness is reduced by exaggerated or inaccurate word choices and a remedy that is only briefly specified. Prioritise precise, natural language and propose concrete council actions, such as increasing bin capacity, restoring a reliable collection schedule, and monitoring the responsible contractor.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter clearly describes the collection failure and its effects, while the proposed solution is relevant but only briefly developed.
Specify practical council measures, including collection frequency, additional bins, and accountability for missed collections.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information progresses logically from the complaint to its effects and requested action, although some sentences are densely packed.
Separate the opening description into shorter units and use a distinct final paragraph to develop the requested remedy.
Lexical Resource
There is a broad range of formal vocabulary, but frequent inaccurate collocations make the tone strained and occasionally obscure meaning.
Prefer precise phrases such as “waste disposal,” “local residents,” and “the situation has become intolerable” over exaggerated formulations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The writer uses varied complex sentences with generally clear meaning, despite recurring article, punctuation, and word-form errors.
Check sentence boundaries, determiners, and countable nouns, especially in the salutation and the request to take action.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
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
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.