Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment towards the clothes which I recently bought from your company.

Last week, I ordered two night suit from amazon application as per my friend recommendation. But my excitement turned into regret when I opened the parcel. Firstly, the colour was not same as shown in the picture, secondly, the quality was not good. Additionally, the size looks smaller as per large size which was hurting for me. Amazon is a great brand and I was not expecting these faults with great price.

I would like to request you to replace my parcel as soon as possible. I already have plan for trip and did packing as per planning. It is humble request to provide me new product with great quality in order to satisfy my purchase.

I hope you would take my concerns serious and act accordingly.

Your's sincerely,

Arpan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: providing purchase details, describing the issues, and explaining the urgency for a replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the description of the problems (colour, quality, size) is brief, and the explanation for the urgency is vague ('already have plan for trip'). To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific details, such as the order number or the specific date of the trip, to make the request more persuasive and realistic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'secondly', and 'Additionally' to structure your points. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. The transition between the description of the problem and the request for a replacement could be smoother. Furthermore, the closing sentence 'I hope you would take my concerns serious' is slightly abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between ideas would enhance the overall cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'disappointment', 'recommendation', and 'satisfy my purchase'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'two night suit' should be 'two night suits', and 'as per my friend recommendation' should be 'on my friend's recommendation'. Additionally, 'hurting for me' is not a natural way to express that a garment does not fit. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations related to retail and customer service would help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. However, there are several grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. Examples include 'the colour was not same' (missing 'the'), 'I already have plan' (missing 'a'), and 'Your's sincerely' (incorrect apostrophe). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on articles, pluralization, and basic punctuation will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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