Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-13

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 or madam,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I was bought some clothing online with your website and I was not satisfied with your product. So I will need to replace urgently.

I was purchased the t -shirt from your online website at 15 th October. The order was delivered at 18 th October. Order was delivered at the time it was good. I was received the order then I opened the order but I was saw the different product was received. I ordered the t- shirt, but I was received the tourse. I received wrong product.I ordered t - shirt because of I would wear on my birthday, but your mistake I would not wearing the t shirt on my special day. So that I need to change urgently.

I hope you can considered my problem and take a quickly steps.Thank you so much for your valuable time.

Yours sincerely,

Riya modi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three requested points: you identify the online purchase and delivery dates, explain that you received a different item from the T-shirt ordered, and say it was intended for your birthday. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the polite closing is appropriate. The urgency is present, but the reason could be developed more clearly—for example, state when the birthday is and request a replacement by a specific date. Purchase details are also somewhat limited because there is no order number or clear product description beyond “t-shirt.” This covers the task well overall, while some details remain less fully explained; adding precise information and a direct request would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: it opens with the complaint, gives the purchase and delivery details, describes the incorrect item, and ends with a request for action. This makes the main message understandable. However, several ideas are crowded into one paragraph, and the sequence becomes repetitive in places, such as “I received the order” followed by “I opened the order.” Some links are also awkward or unclear, including “So that I need to change urgently.” Use separate paragraphs for the purchase/problem and the requested solution, and connect events with clearer transitions such as “When I opened the parcel” and “As my birthday is approaching.” This would make the progression smoother and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the basic complaint, including “purchase,” “delivered,” “wrong product,” “replace,” and “birthday.” The reader can identify the problem and the reason for urgency. However, the range is limited, and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “I was not satisfied with your product,” “I received the tourse,” and “take a quickly steps.” These choices sometimes make the message harder to interpret, particularly the name of the item received. Use precise terms such as “parcel,” “incorrect item,” and “replacement,” and check spelling and natural word combinations. A broader, more accurate set of complaint-related expressions would improve clarity and formality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to explain events using past-tense clauses and gives a reason with “because,” so it goes beyond isolated simple statements. However, verb forms and sentence patterns are often inaccurate, as in “I was bought,” “I was purchased,” and “I was received.” These should be active forms such as “I bought” or “I received.” There are also problems with articles, prepositions, and sentence construction, for example “at 15th October” and “because of I would wear.” Some sentences are difficult to follow because several clauses are joined without clear punctuation. Practise forming accurate past-tense sentences and use shorter, controlled structures before adding more complex explanations.

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