Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-29

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,

I am writing this letter in order to bring to your attention about a complaint regarding my recent online purchase made from your online store of Ajio.com.

I recently bought a PS5 pro from your store with an extra controller. It was purchased on 19th of July 2026 and the receipt number is [redacted phone]. I received the PS5 in brand new box packed condition with seal on the box and is working as required. However, the extra controller I purchased seems to be used one and broken. It has multiple scratches, broken keys and not getting charged when connected to charger.

I would like to get an urgent replacement as I have planned to gift this to my younger brother on his 18th birthday. He always wanted to have this piece of technology since he saw it and his birthday is with a couple of days.

I really hope that you will provide me with an brand new controller within a day or two as it would save my brother's gift for his special day.

With regards,

Khushal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly provided the purchase details (date and receipt number), described the specific defects of the controller, and explained the urgency of the situation regarding your brother's birthday. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the desired outcome, such as requesting a specific resolution like a refund or a courier collection for the faulty item, which would further demonstrate your ability to develop ideas fully.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct aspect of the task, which aids readability. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'as' to link ideas. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in light of this') to improve the flow between sentences. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'bring to your attention' and 'piece of technology' are used effectively. However, there are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'brand new box packed condition' which is slightly clunky, and 'not getting charged' which could be more formal. To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise collocations and less common lexical items. Your spelling is generally accurate, and the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate your dissatisfaction effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'bring to your attention about a complaint' (the 'about' is redundant) and 'is working as required' (missing subject 'it'). Additionally, 'his birthday is with a couple of days' should be 'within a couple of days'. Despite these errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the mistakes do not impede communication. Increasing the use of error-free complex sentences would help improve your score in this criterion.

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