Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-11

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 or Madam,

Good morning, My name is Komal and i am writing this letter to inform you about my dress that i recently ordered online from your site. for purchasing this dress, i visited your store personally but it was out of stock that time so your one of the staff member told me that I can buy it from online store. Then i visit online store that i get this dress it is in black colour with beautiful design on it and it cost around $60. I placed the order that time and it take 2 days to deliver at my home.

When i open the package and noticed that colour of the dress was totally different it was in blue colour. Also i do not like blue. So i want to replace it.

I want an urgent replacement for it because i have my convocation ceremony in next two days i ordered this dress for my that special occasion, and i do not want to ruin my all excitement due to one wrong dress. I hope you will do something soon and send me my desired colour dress soon, waiting for your reply. Thank you.

yours gratefully,

Komal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the task: providing purchase details, describing the problem, and explaining the urgency of the replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly regarding the description of the dress and the ordering process. To reach a higher band, the information could be presented more concisely, allowing for a more professional and polished structure. The purpose of the letter is clear throughout, and the reader is left in no doubt about the desired outcome.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., the frequent use of 'and' and 'so'). There are also issues with sentence boundaries, such as run-on sentences in the first paragraph ('Then i visit online store that i get this dress it is in black colour...'). While the overall progression is clear, the lack of varied linking words and occasional awkward phrasing makes the flow less smooth than it could be.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate the situation clearly. However, the range is limited and relies on basic descriptors. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'your one of the staff member' instead of 'one of your staff members' and 'ruin my all excitement' instead of 'ruin my excitement'. The student uses simple, repetitive language to describe the items and the situation. To improve, the student should aim for more precise vocabulary related to retail and customer service.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Common issues include incorrect verb tenses ('it take 2 days'), missing articles ('in black colour'), and capitalization errors ('i' instead of 'I'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences that lack proper conjunctions or full stops. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to detract from the overall quality of the writing. More attention to subject-verb agreement and basic sentence construction is needed.

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

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