Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent online purchase from your store.

Two weeks ago, I placed an order for a white shirt and a black formal pant, both in medium sized. As I require them urgently, I paid the additional cost for getting the express delivery.

However, I was quite disappointed with my experience. I received the shirt in large size, that completely looked bigger on me. In addition, the fabric of pant was supposed to be cotton, but it actually came into polyester. This was entirely opposed to the description that mentioned under the product.

I would be grateful if you could replace these items at your earliest convenience because I have an important meeting to attend soon, and I do not have enough time left for purchasing these clothes. I would appreciate if you could verify the replacement products to ensure it will be appropriate.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you would address this issue promptly.

Yours faithfully,

Harmeet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You provided clear details of the purchase, described the specific issues with the size and material, and explained the urgency regarding your upcoming meeting. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, and the purpose is clear throughout. To reach a higher band, you could expand slightly on the specific nature of the 'important meeting' to add more weight to the urgency, but overall, the task is fully covered.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'In addition', and 'Therefore' (implied). To improve, ensure that transitions between sentences are smoother; for example, the connection between the description of the fabric and the conclusion could be more fluid. Overall, the structure is clear and effective.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary suitable for a formal letter, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'at your earliest convenience', and 'promptly'. There are some minor collocation errors, such as 'came into polyester' instead of 'was made of polyester' and 'looked bigger on me' instead of 'was too large'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do prevent the use of vocabulary from being considered fully natural or sophisticated. Focusing on common collocations for clothing and materials would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'medium sized' (should be 'medium size' or 'medium-sized'), 'mentioned under the product' (should be 'mentioned in the product description'), and 'time left for purchasing' (should be 'time left to purchase'). Despite these occasional errors, the meaning is always clear, and the majority of your sentences are accurate. The punctuation is generally correct, and the formal tone is maintained throughout.

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

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