Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-05
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 6.0)
Dear Amazon Customer Service,
I am writing an email regarding an disappointment with my latest purchased which was made through your online website.
Begin with, the costume was lately ordered for my son on 14th August from your online store and the order number is 314. Especially, it was an express delivery order being an golden member of Amazon.
The major concern is about the quality of fabric which is completely different than it appears online. Apart from this, the parcel was shipped on 16th August not on the very next day even though I am golden member in which the delivery suppose to be delivered within 24 hours after place an order.
Henceforth, now I am at least expecting a garments needs to be replaced with better quality of fabric on immediate basis. Why I am asking to make it urgent just because my son has to wear that special attire for a sports competition on upcoming weekend.
I hope you understand my concern and escalate it.
Yours Faithfully,
Binay.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all three bullet points of the prompt: providing purchase details, describing the quality issue, and explaining the urgency. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the description of the fabric quality is vague, and the explanation of the delivery delay could be more clearly linked to the overall dissatisfaction. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the content lacks the depth required for a higher band score. The structure is logical, but the expression of ideas is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'I am writing an email regarding an disappointment'.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Apart from this', 'Henceforth', and 'However', though some are used incorrectly or sound unnatural in this context (e.g., 'Henceforth' is not appropriate for a complaint letter). The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the purchase details to the problem and finally the requested solution. Paragraphing is present, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall flow of the letter.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'latest purchased' (should be 'latest purchase'), 'golden member' (likely 'Gold member'), and 'on immediate basis' (should be 'on an immediate basis'). The student attempts to use formal language, but the execution is inconsistent. While the meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is limited to basic terms, and the errors in word formation and collocation prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('an disappointment', 'the delivery suppose to be'), verb tenses, and sentence construction ('Why I am asking to make it urgent just because...'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and occur throughout the text. The student struggles with subject-verb agreement and prepositional usage. To improve, the student should focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.