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,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction regarding my recent purchase from your store and would like to have a replacement.

To begin with, I recently made a purchase of a suit of Zara from your Yorkdale's location. Unfortunately, on my way to the house I found that it was defective by the shoulder.

One of the main issues with the suit was the stiches, it was open from the both sides and by the neck. Although I was informed by the staff that a tie is inside the pocket of the suit, but i could not find it.

Since I brought it specifically for my upcoming graduation, I cannot wear it on that special day. Consequently, I am in an urgent need of a replacement of the suit,

I hope this letter gives you a clear understanding of my dissatisfaction regarding my purchase.

Yours faithfully,

Om Pethani

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: providing purchase details, describing the defects, and explaining the urgency of the replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the suit is defective, providing more specific details about the store location or the transaction date would have strengthened the letter. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the request for a replacement is well-integrated into the context of your upcoming graduation. To improve, ensure that you provide slightly more descriptive detail to fully flesh out the scenario.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs covering the specific issues, and a conclusion. You have used some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Although', and 'Consequently' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the description of the stitches and the missing tie is slightly abrupt. Additionally, the paragraphing is a bit fragmented; some sentences could be better grouped to improve the flow. Overall, the message is easy to follow, and the progression of ideas is logical, which meets the requirements for a solid band 6.5 or 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have used a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'defective', and 'consequently'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'a suit of Zara' is unnatural; 'a Zara suit' or 'a suit from Zara' would be more appropriate. Similarly, 'defective by the shoulder' is not standard usage; 'defective at the shoulder' or 'had a defect in the shoulder' would be better. The phrase 'stiches' is misspelled as 'stiches' (should be 'stitches'). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'on my way to the house' (likely meant 'home'), 'it was open from the both sides' (should be 'both sides'), and 'I brought it' (should be 'I bought it'). The sentence 'Although I was informed by the staff that a tie is inside the pocket of the suit, but i could not find it' contains a redundant 'but' and an error in tense consistency. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and attention to verb tenses and prepositions.

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

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