Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-26

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 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to my express deepest displeasure with the recent purchase that I made from your store. On Sunday, June 27th,2026 I visited your store due to attractive store offers. When I looked at the clothing, I liked a Black Denim Jacket along with the pearls on the sleeves to enrich the overall look. But, I was told to order online from the store website, as the Jacket in my size was not available.

Unfortunately, when I received my order, I was shocked after looking at the box, as it was terribly damaged. However, it did not bother me a lot, given that the product was important for me. But, upon unboxing the product, I found a damage not only on the right sleeve but also on the back of the jacket too. The stitches were tore off, which could make the product not worthwhile to the money I spent on it.

To mitigate the issues, I would request you to provide a replacement as soon as possible, as I need this jacket to wear on my birthday which is on next Tuesday. I have planned a theme party which is supposed to go with the dress code and for that I made a plan to wear it on my special day.

I believe these problems require immediate attention, and I would appreciate it if you resolve the issue urgently to maintain the customer experience. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Milan Bodar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identified the purchase details, described the specific damage to the jacket, and provided a logical reason for needing an urgent replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, and the purpose is clear from the outset. To reach a higher band, ensure that the details provided are consistent; for instance, you mentioned visiting a store to look at the jacket, but then stated you were told to order online, which is slightly confusing. Overall, the task requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'To mitigate the issues' to guide the reader through your argument. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the purchase context to the problem and finally the requested solution. While the flow is generally good, some transitions could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Overall, the structure is effective and supports the reader's understanding of your situation.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'deepest displeasure', 'mitigate the issues', and 'immediate attention' are well-chosen and appropriate for a formal complaint. However, there are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'stitches were tore off' (should be 'torn off') and 'not worthwhile to the money' (should be 'not worth the money'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do prevent the use of vocabulary from being considered fully precise or sophisticated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing to my express' (extra 'my'), 'a damage' (damage is uncountable), and 'which is on next Tuesday' (remove 'on'). Additionally, there are some punctuation issues, such as the missing space after the comma in 'June 27th,2026'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause confusion or impede the overall meaning of your letter. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would improve your score.

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