Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-12

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 to inform about dissatisfied review of clothes I purchased from your online site.

One of the my friend told me about your big holiday sale on last week. Then, I decided to buy clothes as I have planned to go Toronto next to next week. I got huge discount on my purchase because of deals. I bought two t-shirt and one black jeans and it delivered on the next day of the purchase.

On the next day when I opened the box I tried my attire and I got shocked because the jeans ordered with black color I got it in blue color. After that I tried two t-shirt. Although one t-shirt is perfect in size and fit, the second one came with big hole on the backside which makes my experience worse.

I have started replacing process immediately but it's say I might take two week for whole process. As a result I have to contact as soon as possible because I am planning to go Toronto next week. If I got courier early then I can wear it go to toronto because I love that t-shirt.

Kind regard,

Hardeep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: providing purchase details, describing the issues with the items, and explaining the urgency of the replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the incorrect color and the hole in the t-shirt, the explanation of why you need the replacement urgently is slightly repetitive and could be more clearly articulated. To improve, ensure that your reasons for urgency are linked more directly to the specific timeline of your trip to Toronto, rather than just repeating the destination.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your narrative. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'As a result', and 'After that'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the logical progression is slightly hindered by awkward phrasing, such as in the final paragraph. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, for instance, when you refer to 'the replacement process' without having previously established that you had already initiated it. Improving the variety of linking words would help the text feel more natural and cohesive.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your message clearly, including terms like 'dissatisfied', 'purchase', and 'replacement'. However, there are several errors in word choice and collocation that detract from the overall quality. For example, you use 'attire' incorrectly in the context of trying on clothes, and 'courier' is used where 'delivery' or 'shipment' would be more appropriate. Additionally, there are minor errors such as 'big hole' (a large hole) and 'black color' (black). Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations would help you reach a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include missing articles ('the' before 'next week'), incorrect pluralization ('two t-shirt' instead of 'two t-shirts'), and tense inconsistencies. For instance, 'it's say I might take two week' should be 'it says it might take two weeks'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency of your writing. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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