Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the shirt I recently ordered from your online store.

I regularly buy my clothing from your due to the high quality of fabric. I ordered shirt on 12th of July, the colour shown in the picture was dusty rose and it had a beautiful embroidered motif on it. It was a high-priced article.

I received my parcel on 20th July and when I opened it, I felt so disappointed because the colour of shirt was not as it was shown online It was peach colour. Moreover, the article was damaged from backside.

Unfortunately, I had a bad experience with you this time. I contacted to your sales person but he did not pay any attention to my problem. I am going to wear it on my convocation, so I request you to arrange a replacement as early as possible. I believe that you will resolve this issue as a matter of urgency and am looking forward to hearing from you.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly identified the purchase, described the issues with the colour and the damage, and explained the urgency regarding your convocation. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. To improve, ensure you provide slightly more specific details, such as an order number, to make the request feel more authentic. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'Unfortunately' to link ideas. However, the paragraphing is a bit clumped; separating the description of the problem from the request for a replacement would improve the structure. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some transitions could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dissatisfaction', 'embroidered motif', and 'urgency'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'contacted to your sales person' (should be 'contacted your sales representative') and 'article was damaged from backside' (should be 'damaged on the back'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent a higher score. Expanding your range of formal business collocations would help elevate your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('ordered shirt' instead of 'ordered a shirt', 'colour of shirt' instead of 'colour of the shirt') and minor punctuation issues. While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause confusion for the reader. To reach a higher band, focus on consistent use of articles and prepositions, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, with greater accuracy.

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.