Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-06

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 inform my dissatisfaction towards a purchase that I had from your website. I recently bought a shirt from you and it delivered with a scratch on the shoulder.

I ordered a black shirt on 28th July 2026 and received it on 3rd August 2026. It is a black full sleeve shirt with some print on the front and back side, which I bought it with the offer in my credit card. It costs me $56 after offer price and the product is useless because of a big scratch on the right shoulder near to its stitches is easily noticeable for everyone.

However, I am expecting a replacement as soon as possible because I purchased this for an upcoming family function on second week of August. We have a dress code of black full sleeve shirt for that event, hence this replacement is much required.

Thank you for giving attention to this matter and I am hoping you will process the replacement soon.

Yours faithfully,

Jithu

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You provided the purchase details (date, item description, cost), clearly described the defect (a scratch on the shoulder), and explained the urgency regarding the upcoming family function. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. To reach a higher band, ensure that all sentences are grammatically sound to avoid minor confusion, such as in the phrase 'which I bought it with the offer', where the pronoun 'it' is redundant. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical structure, with each paragraph focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the purchase details to the problem and finally the requested solution. You have used some cohesive devices like 'However' and 'hence' to link ideas. To improve, ensure that transitions between sentences are smoother. For example, the transition between the purchase details and the description of the defect could be more fluid. Paragraphing is used appropriately, which helps the reader follow the narrative of your complaint effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'inform my dissatisfaction' and 'easily noticeable' are functional. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and collocation. For instance, 'inform my dissatisfaction' is slightly unnatural; 'express my dissatisfaction' would be more standard. Similarly, 'bought it with the offer in my credit card' could be phrased more precisely as 'purchased using a credit card promotion'. While these errors do not impede communication, refining these collocations would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'it delivered with a scratch' should be in the passive voice: 'it was delivered with a scratch'. Additionally, 'near to its stitches is easily noticeable' is a fragmented construction. There are also minor errors in article usage and verb tense consistency. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your request, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and passive voice construction will help improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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