Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-02

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 to express my dissatisfaction regarding some clothes that I bought online from your company. I recently ordered a summer dress and two pair of jeans; however, I was extremely disappointed with the service provided.

Firstly, I would like to mention that the stuff of these clothes was of poor quality. Moreover, the delivery was delayed, which caused me a great deal of inconvenience. I expected a much higher standard of service because your company was recommended by my friends ; and they were highly impressed with your service.

I would appreciate it if you could look into this matter and provide a replacement at your earliest convenience.

I look forward to receiving your response.

Yours faithfully,

Manpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points: providing purchase details, describing the problem, and explaining the need for a replacement. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the development of your ideas. For example, the explanation of why you need a replacement urgently is quite brief and lacks specific context (e.g., a wedding or a trip). To improve, you should expand on each point with more detail and supporting information to ensure you meet the length requirement and fully develop your response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'however' to link your ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To reach a higher band, try to vary your cohesive devices further and ensure that the transition between your disappointment with the service and the request for a replacement flows more naturally. The overall structure is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'inconvenience', and 'earliest convenience'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as using 'stuff' to refer to the material or quality of the clothing, which is too informal for this context. Additionally, 'two pair of jeans' should be 'two pairs of jeans'. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise, formal terms for describing product defects would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as the pluralization error in 'two pair of jeans' and the unnecessary space before the semicolon in 'friends ; and'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent punctuation. Your control of basic grammar is generally good, but more complex structures are needed to demonstrate higher proficiency.

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