Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-07

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 manager,

Hope you are doing well.

I am writing this letter to inform you regarding the inconvenience which I faced recently after shopping from your store. I have checked your store page online and a link was pop up with some discount on clearance items. I noticed a dress and it seems eye catching to me. I decided to buy this and paid 450$ CAD. It is quite expensive but still i purchased.

Upon arrival, I have realised that they send me the wrong size. Apart from this, the bottom of sleeves showing some cuts on it. I was so disappointed with the services because I have paid a big amount of money on this. Moreover, I have to wear this dress for my family function which will be in next 10 days.

Currently, My request to you is, could you please change this order as soon as possible or either refund me full amount of money on urgent basis so that I can buy new one.

I hope that you will understand and consider my request.

Kind regards,

Rishabhveer singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: providing purchase details, describing the problem, and explaining the urgency. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'Dear manager' is slightly informal compared to the requested 'Dear Sir or Madam'. The ideas are clear and relevant, though the development could be slightly more professional. For instance, mentioning the specific order number would have strengthened the 'details of purchase' section. Overall, the response effectively communicates the purpose of the letter and meets the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Apart from this', 'Moreover', and 'Currently', which help the flow of ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the connection between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the purchase details and the problem description is abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body, and the conclusion, which helps the reader follow your argument without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'eye catching' and 'inconvenience' are used correctly. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'paid a big amount of money' (better: 'paid a significant sum') and 'on urgent basis' (better: 'as a matter of urgency'). While you successfully communicate your needs, the vocabulary is somewhat basic and lacks the precision expected at higher band levels. Expanding your repertoire of formal business collocations would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'a link was pop up' (should be 'popped up'), 'they send me' (should be 'they sent me'), and 'bottom of sleeves showing' (should be 'bottom of the sleeves shows'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and capitalization errors, such as 'i' instead of 'I' and 'My' capitalized mid-sentence. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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