Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-30

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 you are doing well. My name is Malhar Bhavsar and I have been your loyal customer since last five years. I recently purchased Traditional Indian ware from your online Myntra store.

Unfortunately, I am not happy with the material and colour. I ordered traditional Gujarati Design that included small flowers in golden shade and background cloth was purple.

However, the Kurta I received has big golden shade flowers and the material at the base is blue instead of purple which is hardly visible due to enormous golden flower design. This is not what I expected and ordered.

In addition to that, I bought it for my sister's wedding which is due in three days from now. As I mentioned earlier, since last five years I enjoyed shopping from your platform and there was no issue until my last order. I request you to replace it with my original purchase as soon as possible.

I hope you will consider my request urgently. Thank you for your time.

Yours Faithfully,

Malhar Bhavsar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.5

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly identified the purchase, described the specific discrepancies in the product's design and color, and explained the urgency regarding your sister's wedding. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. You have maintained a consistent focus on the task requirements throughout the text, ensuring that the reader understands both the nature of the problem and the desired resolution.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the introduction of the issue to the specific details, the impact, and finally the request for action. Cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'However', and 'In addition to that' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the flow of information is smooth, making the letter easy to follow for the recipient.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'loyal customer' and 'original purchase' are used accurately. While the vocabulary is generally functional and appropriate for the context, there is room to incorporate more sophisticated or precise collocations to reach a higher band. For instance, instead of 'hardly visible', you could use 'obscured by'. The word choice is consistent and does not impede communication, though it remains somewhat standard throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'since last five years' (should be 'for the last five years') and 'background cloth was purple' (missing an article). However, these errors are infrequent and do not hinder the reader's understanding. You show good control over punctuation and sentence structure, and the majority of your sentences are error-free. To improve, focus on article usage and prepositional phrases related to time durations.

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