Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have bought some clothing online and are not satisfied with your purchase.

Write a letter to the company that you bought the clothing from. In your email:

• give details of the purchase
• describe the problem
• explain why you need a replacement urgently

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I hope you doing well, Here i would like to inform you that one week ago I bought mens hair trimmer on $30 from your site and I got it on mentioned delivery day as monday, I supose Its has marvellous quality because whenever I go to buy any product then first of all, I always looks the review or rating and I saw the trimmer has 4.5 stars out of 5 but when I used the tool first time then I felt it has problem like its vibrating hard while using on skin and thier charging cable not working properly because while I trying to connect then Its depict not charging, So these are some issues experienced by me. I know your officals selling great things on your website but this time I need to change my trimmer as you can send me another from any particular company on same price range or you can replace and I need it rapidly because I have some ocaasions so I want to use this and I look forward to reply on this and helping to get right products.

Regard,

Thanks

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three required points: you identify the purchase as a men’s hair trimmer bought online for $30, describe the vibration and charging-cable problems, and request a replacement because you have occasions coming up. The purpose is clear and the details are relevant. However, the urgency is only briefly explained, and the requested remedy is not fully precise: asking for “another from any particular company” leaves unclear whether you want the same model or a different one. Develop the reason for needing it soon and state a clear preferred solution, such as a replacement delivered by a specific date. The letter also needs a more complete, appropriately formal closing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The information follows a broadly sensible order, moving from the purchase to the faults and then to the requested action. However, nearly the entire letter is presented as one long sentence, with several ideas joined by “and,” “but,” and “so.” This makes the progression difficult to follow and gives the request less emphasis. The reference in “I need to change my trimmer” is understandable, but the later phrase “another from any particular company” is unclear. Use separate paragraphs for the purchase and problems, then the urgency and request; shorter sentences and clearer links such as “As a result” would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main situation, including “charging cable,” “4.5 stars,” “replace,” and “same price range.” There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “vibrating hard,” although this is not a natural collocation. Several word choices and spelling errors reduce precision, including “occasions” where you likely mean “events,” “officals,” and “depict” for a charging indicator that shows no power. “Marvellous quality” is also an awkward choice in context, since you are explaining what you expected rather than describing the faulty item. Aim for precise customer-service language and check spelling; phrases such as “the trimmer vibrates excessively” and “the charging cable does not work” would be clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine ideas using subordinate clauses and time expressions, for example, “whenever I go to buy any product” and “when I used the tool first time.” However, the response relies heavily on one extended sentence, and some sentence structures are difficult to control. Errors include “I hope you doing well” (missing “are”), “I always looks” (subject–verb agreement), and “when I trying to connect” (missing auxiliary verb). Capitalisation and punctuation also need attention, particularly the comma splice after “Dear Sir” and the run-on sequence of clauses. Use a mix of shorter, complete sentences and carefully formed complex sentences, checking verb forms and sentence boundaries.

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.