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,

I am writing this letter because a product was purchased from your site, Linka.

I recently bought a T-shirt from your online site 2 days back which you're currently advertising and getting famous across the nation. As you're promoting this goods with a famous actor from the Cinema industry.

I wanted to bring to your attention that the product, I have received was a damaged piece and the clothing is also not up to the mark. I have ordered the first quality goods with a Extra shipping charges for the T-shirt but received damaged and Poor quality item.

I would like to receive a replacement or return of money as soon as possible. As it is so important for me for my upcoming Birthday event in the next coming week.

Can you please kindly look into this issue?.

Thanks for your time

Best regards,

Ramesh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: purchase details, the problem, and the need for a replacement. However, the response falls slightly short of the 150-word minimum requirement, which impacts the overall task completion. While the purpose of the letter is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation regarding the urgency of the replacement is brief. To improve, you should expand on the details of the purchase (e.g., order number, specific model) and provide a more detailed explanation of why the item is needed urgently, ensuring you meet the word count requirement to fully develop your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. There is a clear opening and closing. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Transitions between sentences could be smoother; for instance, the connection between the promotion of the goods and the actual purchase is a bit abrupt. Using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'due to the fact that') would improve the flow and help the ideas progress more naturally throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'advertising', 'attention', and 'replacement'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'getting famous across the nation' (should be 'becoming popular') and 'first quality goods' (should be 'high-quality goods'). Additionally, 'Cinema industry' should not be capitalized. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding informal phrasing. Expanding your vocabulary to include more specific business-related terms would also be beneficial for this type of formal correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'this goods' (should be 'these goods'), 'a Extra shipping charges' (should be 'extra shipping charges'), and 'in the next coming week' (redundant). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some minor issues, such as the unnecessary comma in 'product, I have received'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your score.

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

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