Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-14

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction though this letter that I puchased some cloths from your website and I recived wrong size of my cloths. I would appriciate if you consider this letter in review and do replacement as soon as possible. I will give you online order information.

Unfortunately, I recived M size in my order and I orderd S size. I orderd two tops and two bottoms. I wanted to add few things that two bottoms have correct size. These two tops size are incorrect. If I describe two tops, one top color is black and off shoulder and the other one is full sleeve blue top.

Furthermore, I need replacement on urgent basis beacuse I will go for vaction within couple of days. I dont want spoil my mood the reason behind it i wanted these tops from very long time for this vacation.

I would appriciate, If you replace size before I go on vacation.

Yours faithfully,

Avani

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you identify the online order, explain that the two tops arrived in M rather than S while the bottoms are correct, and request a replacement before your vacation. The colour and style details help the company identify the items, and the purpose of the letter is clear. The urgency is also stated, although the explanation that you have wanted the tops for a long time does not fully clarify why receiving them before the trip is essential. To strengthen the response, include practical purchase details such as the order number or purchase date, and make a clear request about the replacement process or delivery deadline. This would develop the less fully explained parts while retaining the relevant, complete response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it opens with the complaint, gives details of the incorrect items, explains the urgency, and closes with a request. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking expressions such as “Unfortunately” and “Furthermore” help signal shifts in focus. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. For example, “I wanted to add few things that two bottoms have correct size” interrupts the description, while “the reason behind it” makes the link between the vacation and your long-standing interest in the tops difficult to follow. The repeated request for replacement in the opening and closing also feels somewhat mechanical. Use more direct transitions and make each paragraph add a distinct piece of information.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the main issue, including “replacement,” “incorrect,” “off shoulder,” and “full sleeve.” The descriptions of the tops are specific and useful. However, the range is limited, and several spelling errors—such as “puchased,” “recived,” “appriciate,” and “beacuse”—are noticeable. Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “express my dissatisfaction though this letter” and “on urgent basis” do not sound idiomatic in a formal complaint. Aim for accurate, conventional phrases such as “I am writing to complain about” and “as a matter of urgency.” Careful proofreading of spelling and collocations would make the message more fluent and professional without changing its clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and most of the message remains understandable. For instance, you explain the order and the vacation in separate sentences, and use “If I describe two tops” to introduce further detail. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction and verb forms. “I orderd M size in my order and I orderd S size” needs a clearer contrast and consistent past-tense phrasing, while “I dont want spoil my mood the reason behind it i wanted these tops” joins ideas without a complete grammatical connection. There are also missing articles and punctuation in phrases such as “within couple of days.” Use shorter, complete sentences where needed, and check articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries.

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

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