Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-09

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 this letter to express my dissatisfaction about the online shopping of clothing that was done last week on the "Flipkart" application.

There are plethora of problems which I have to delineate one by one. On 1 August, I placed an order of a dress which is white in colour and price was $50. However, the delivery box, that I received, was opened from the corner and look like re-fix with the cellotape which make me disturbed. Seecondaly, I was selected costume in white color but the actual color is differentthat is purple.

I request you to kindly replace the parcel urgently as I have to give gift to my sibling on her birhtday which would be celebrated on next Friday. Unfortunately, I have not any other option to give her as a present.

I hope you considered this matter and action accordingly,

Kind regards,

Raman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: details of the purchase, the description of the problem, and the need for an urgent replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of the urgency is brief. While the task is addressed, the development could be more detailed to fully satisfy the requirements of a higher band. The letter is clear and the purpose is immediately apparent to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. There is a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Phrases like 'There are plethora of problems' and 'Seecondaly' (spelling error) are used to transition, but the flow between sentences could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure lacks the sophisticated linking required for higher bands. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points of the complaint.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'online shopping of clothing that was done' and 're-fix with the cellotape'. The phrase 'plethora of problems' is used, but it is slightly misused in this context. Spelling errors such as 'Seecondaly', 'birhtday', and 'color' (inconsistent with 'colour') also detract from the overall quality. To improve, you should focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring consistent spelling throughout your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading, such as 'I was selected costume' (passive voice error), 'the delivery box... look like re-fix' (tense and verb form errors), and 'I have not any other option' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with sentence boundaries and missing articles. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band score.

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

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