Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-18

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 staff member,

i hope you are doing well.

The reason i am writing this letter because recently i purchased 7 items of clothing ,including denim and top from your store ,brand name is Suzy. Some of the items are on 25% off on sale on 16 August of 2026,a day before yesterday. I tried 3 denim jeans and 2 top in fitting room which was in great condition, but when i reached at my home i checked again all of them and realize two pair of jeans are not in good condition, these are torn from some areas and have whole which looks very bad and surely these are not the style of denim.

I purchased these products for gift to my sister as a gift who is planning to go abroad in just 4 days. So i need to replace these items so if refund is not possible. Your assistance would be really helpful for me and for your review and checking i am attaching the receipt with this mail, hope it helpful.

Thank you for your understanding.

Kind regards,

Sherry

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 slightly hindered by grammatical inaccuracies, such as the confusion regarding the purchase date and the description of the damage. While the purpose is clear, the explanation of why a replacement is needed is somewhat brief. To improve, ensure that the sequence of events is logically presented and that the specific details of the items (e.g., size, color) are clearly stated to help the company resolve the issue more efficiently.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical sections, moving from the purchase details to the problem and finally the requested action. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the description of the items and the problem is abrupt. Paragraphing is also insufficient; the entire body of the letter is contained within one large paragraph, which makes it harder to follow. Using clear paragraph breaks for each bullet point would significantly improve the structure and readability of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are some errors in word choice, such as 'whole' instead of 'holes' and 'for gift to my sister as a gift' which is repetitive. The student uses basic descriptors like 'great condition' and 'bad'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise collocations related to retail and product defects, such as 'defective items', 'damaged merchandise', or 'requesting an urgent exchange'. The current range is sufficient to communicate the message but does not demonstrate a wide or flexible vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'The reason i am writing this letter because', which is grammatically incorrect, and 'Some of the items are on 25% off on sale', which is awkward. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'a gift to my sister as a gift'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of minor errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors would be beneficial.

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

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