Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-16

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 am writing this letter to inform you about your t-shirt which I have bought from your website, is freezy material. I have choosen cotton material of this product which is mentioned in details of quality on your website.

I usually prefer to purchase majority of my clothes from your brand's website. I have choosen a t-shirt which have grey colour with left side logo on it and product number was AD125. But when I received a parcel, I am shocked!! It's completely different from what shown in your brand's website. And also I found it torn on left shoulder of purchased t-shirt.

I request you to replace this product as soon as possible because of the replacement validity period is left for 2 days only.

I hope you will consider my humble request to look forward for this urgent replacement application.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Kavi Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: purchase details, the nature of the problem, and the urgency of the replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention the product number and color, the description of the 'freezy' material is vague and could be more precise. The urgency is explained, but the connection between the 'validity period' and the need for a replacement could be articulated more clearly to ensure the reader fully understands the pressure. Overall, the task is addressed, but the content could be expanded with more specific details to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the purchase details to the problem and finally the request for action. Paragraphing is present, though the paragraphs are quite short. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'I have choosen' and 'I am'. There is a lack of variety in linking words, which makes the flow feel a bit disjointed. To improve, you should use a wider range of transition signals (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'In addition') to connect your ideas more fluidly and improve the overall progression of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You use basic terms like 'bought', 'website', and 'torn'. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'freezy material' (which is unclear) and 'what shown in your brand's website' (which should be 'what is shown on'). The repetition of 'I have choosen' (should be 'chosen') indicates a limited range. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more specific vocabulary related to online shopping and product quality, such as 'defective', 'discrepancy', 'unsatisfactory', or 'expedite'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You have several grammatical errors, such as 'your t-shirt which I have bought... is freezy material' (a run-on/fragment issue), 'I have choosen' (incorrect past participle), and 'what shown in your brand's website' (missing auxiliary verb). Additionally, 'because of the replacement validity period is left' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'because the replacement validity period has only two days remaining'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score.

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

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