Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-24

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 8.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this message finds you well. The purpose of my writing today is to express mu dissatisfaction the recent purchase that I made from your company.

Last Sunday, I placed an online order via your official website. It was a pink floral dress with silver printing on it. My order number was [redacted phone]. Moreover, I paid the full price during the purchase.

I was over the moon to receive my package. However, when I finally opened it, my excitement turned into disappointment after looking at the color of the dress. Instead of pink in color, I got a red colored gown. I was overwhelmed with this unfortunate experience.

I ordered this particular dress for my sister's wedding. Since the color theme is pink for all the bride's family, receiving the exact same dress which I selected is essential by the end of this month. I hope you would personally look after this matter at your earliest convenience.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Gurkirat Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You provided the purchase details (order number, item description), clearly described the problem (wrong color received), and explained the urgency (sister's wedding). The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanation of the urgency is slightly more detailed regarding the timeline for the replacement, but overall, this is a very solid response that fully satisfies the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which makes the information easy to follow. You have used some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Since', which help to connect your ideas effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve further, you could vary your linking words slightly more to avoid a mechanical feel, but the current structure is clear and effective throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You have used a good range of vocabulary appropriate for a formal complaint, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'at your earliest convenience', and 'unfortunate experience'. There are a few minor slips, such as 'express mu dissatisfaction' (a typo) and 'receiving the exact same dress which I selected is essential' (slightly awkward phrasing). However, these do not impede communication. You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning with precision. To improve, focus on ensuring your collocations are natural and proofread for small typing errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good control of grammar with a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are error-free, and the meaning is always clear. There are a few minor grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'express mu dissatisfaction the recent purchase' (missing 'with') and 'receiving the exact same dress which I selected is essential by the end of this month' (the placement of the time phrase is slightly awkward). Despite these, your control of punctuation and sentence construction is strong, and the errors do not interfere with the reader's understanding.

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