Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 to request a urgent replacement for the clothes that i bought last week from your store.

Firstly, It was first time I visited your shop and had a great experience but I have some issues with one of the black leather jacket and a red shirt. I would like to replace these two items.

Additionally the jacket has a hole near the sleeves which was not due to my fault but a manufacturer defect. Secondly, shirt was not of my correct size, sleeves were really very long So, I decided to exchange them.

I would really appreciate your effort if you can help me providing replacement urgently as I am leaving in 5 days to abroad and left with no other option. Moreover, It would be grateful if you can either provide me with a alternative solution to this problem.

Thanks for your consideration and looking forward for a response.

Yours faithfully,

Harjas

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: it provides details of the purchase, describes the defects (hole in the jacket, incorrect size for the shirt), and explains the urgency due to upcoming travel. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. However, the development of ideas is slightly limited; for instance, the explanation regarding the shirt size could be more precise. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is left in no doubt about the requested action. The response successfully fulfills the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Additionally', and 'Moreover' helps to guide the reader through the text. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the phrase 'It would be grateful', which is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body of the complaint, and the closing request. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their message clearly. There are attempts to use specific terminology like 'manufacturer defect' and 'replacement'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'request a urgent replacement' (should be 'an urgent') and 'It would be grateful' (should be 'I would be grateful'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and common formal expressions to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including article misuse ('It was first time'), missing articles ('shirt was not'), and incorrect pronoun usage ('i' instead of 'I'). Additionally, there are punctuation and phrasing issues, such as 'long So, I decided'. While the meaning remains clear throughout the letter, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to subject-verb agreement and basic sentence punctuation would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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