Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-14

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 hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to express my strong dissatisfaction with the recent online purchase from your shop.

Since from the last week I was thinking to contact your shop regarding the piece of cloth that I bought from your shop. Due to lack of time and busy schedule I was unable to connect.

Actually, last week I ordered a vibrant purple traditional Kurta set from your store through online app for upcoming Navratri Festival. Initially, the color of the Kurta attracts me and then I saw the designing was also good that makes me the reason to order. I received the parcel within two days but what makes me surprising, the color of dress was totally changed and seems dull light purple.

I was totally unhappy and unsatisfied with my package. I'm hoping my feedback will help you to replace my order. Moreover, I believe that your store will pay strict attention towards every online orders.

Your Sincerely,

Usha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all three bullet points of the task. You provided details of the purchase (vibrant purple Kurta set), described the problem (the color was dull light purple), and mentioned the need for the item for the Navratri Festival. However, the explanation of why the replacement is needed urgently is somewhat underdeveloped; while you mention the festival, you do not explicitly state that you need the item before the event starts. To reach a higher band, ensure that the urgency is clearly linked to a specific deadline or event date to make the request more persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the purpose of the letter to the details of the problem and finally the desired outcome. Paragraphing is present, though the transition between the introduction and the body could be smoother. Some cohesive devices are used, such as 'Actually' and 'Moreover', but the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Since from the last week I was thinking to contact your shop'. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that sentences flow naturally into one another will help improve the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message, using words like 'dissatisfaction', 'vibrant', and 'traditional'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'piece of cloth' (which sounds unnatural in this context; 'garment' or 'item' would be better) and 'what makes me surprising' (which should be 'what surprised me'). The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but more precise and natural collocations would elevate the quality of your writing and demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow. Examples include 'Since from the last week I was thinking to contact' (incorrect tense and preposition usage), 'the color of dress was totally changed' (missing article), and 'your store will pay strict attention towards every online orders' (subject-verb agreement error with 'orders'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on verb tenses and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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