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 or Mam,

I am writing in regards to the clothes I recently purchased online from your website. I am really disappointed after receiving my parcel which I ordered on 21st August.

The first matter arises, when I found the packaging was teared from some parts. However, I convinced myself and opened the delivery box. The box contains 4 shirts and 2 jeans in it, unfortunately all of them had stains on them, which was unexpected to saw. To made the matter more worse, one of the jeans which was in black colour are ripped from some parts. The delivery was not up to the mark and was not expected from your well- known company.

I ordered this items for my Malta trip which is planned on 31st August and I am requesting you to please provide me urgently replacement for all the items so that I could wear them on my holiday. I would like to mention that please check the items before sending as I will not able to return the parcel again as per your online terms and conditions.

I am looking to hear from you soon.

Yours faithfully

Preet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task: providing purchase details, describing the defects, and explaining the urgency of the replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is slightly hindered by grammatical inaccuracies that occasionally make the narrative feel a bit disjointed. For instance, the explanation of the urgency is clear, but the request for a replacement could be more precisely phrased to ensure the company understands the specific action required. Overall, the task is fully addressed, and the purpose of the letter is clear to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'The first matter arises' and 'To make the matter worse' to transition between ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or unnatural, such as 'However, I convinced myself and opened the delivery box.' The use of referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect your points more fluidly. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body of the complaint, and the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'disappointed', 'parcel', and 'terms and conditions'. However, there are several instances of incorrect word choice or form, such as 'teared' instead of 'torn', 'saw' instead of 'see', and 'worse' instead of 'worst'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To reach a higher band, focus on using more accurate collocations and ensuring that word forms (e.g., adjectives vs. verbs) are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('one of the jeans... are ripped') and incorrect verb forms ('To made the matter more worse'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and spelling errors, such as 'well- known' and 'Sir or Mam' (should be 'Madam'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your complaint, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the response.

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

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