Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

This letter is to request you for a return of the clothing items purchased from your company’s website.

I made a purchase of clothes from your website a few days ago using online payment method and opted for quick delivery option and they arrived the next days after the order was placed. Firstly, the packaging of your product was below industry standard as all the clothes were scattered and wrinkled and also when i wore the clothes i realized that the quality of the product was not what I expected from a reputed brand like yours. Lastly, i wore a shirt hat i ordered from your company but after washing it the first time i realized that the colour of the shirt has faded. For the reason mentioned above i would like you to replace my clothes as soon as possible.

I hope you consider my request and act on it quickly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: providing purchase details, describing the problems with the clothing, and requesting a replacement. However, the third bullet point—explaining why you need a replacement urgently—is not fully developed. You mention that you would like a replacement 'as soon as possible,' but you do not provide a specific reason for the urgency, such as an upcoming event or a gift deadline. To reach a higher band, ensure that each requirement is supported by specific, logical details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purchase details to the problems and finally the request. You use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly,' 'Lastly,' and 'For the reason mentioned above.' However, the paragraphing is weak; the entire body of the letter is contained in one long paragraph, which makes it difficult to read. Improving your paragraph structure by separating the problem description from the request would significantly enhance the flow and clarity of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'reputed brand' and 'industry standard.' There are some minor errors, such as 'quick delivery option' (should be 'the quick delivery option') and 'shirt hat' (likely a typo for 'shirt that'). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. Try to incorporate more specific adjectives and formal business collocations to improve the professional tone of your correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors throughout the text. For example, 'request you for a return' is unnatural (should be 'request a return'), and there are issues with article usage ('the next days' should be 'the next day'). Additionally, there are punctuation and capitalization errors, such as the lowercase 'i' used throughout the text. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy of your writing.

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