Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Ma,

I am writing with dissatisfaction in regard’s to the Delivery of the clothes I ordered from your company.

On the 10th of this month, I visited the company’s online platform to purchase some clothes for myself and that of my wife. I ordered a total number of 5 clothes, which are two black shirts, a white trouser, a boxer and a long brown gown, of which they the total cost is a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I placed an order immediately and I was notified it will be delivered in 2 days time.

I got to notice about the length of the brown gown when I received all of them. The gown that was delivered to me is shorter than what I ordered for, which I am not pleased with, even haven carefully selected the tall one for purchase.

I humbly request for a replacement for the gown immediately, so to enable my wife attend her sister’s weeding ceremony in four days to come.

I hope my complain is looked into and get immediate response from the company.

Yours faithfully,

Uzodimma Chiemerie.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You provided details of the purchase, described the specific issue with the gown's length, and explained the urgency regarding your wife's wedding ceremony. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint letter, although the opening salutation 'Dear Ma' is informal and incorrect for a business context. The purpose of the letter is clear throughout, and the ideas are developed sufficiently to meet the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the 10th of this month' and 'I humbly request' to guide the reader. However, the transition between ideas could be smoother. For example, the sentence 'I got to notice about the length' is slightly awkward and disrupts the flow. Additionally, the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'which are two black shirts... of which they the total cost is...', where the structure becomes repetitive and slightly confusing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'platform', and 'replacement'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'I got to notice' is informal and unnatural; 'I noticed' would be better. The phrase 'a boxer' is likely a misuse of the singular form for underwear, and 'weeding ceremony' is a spelling error for 'wedding'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they indicate a need for more precise vocabulary and better attention to standard collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'in regard’s to' (incorrect apostrophe), 'even haven carefully selected' (incorrect verb form), and 'so to enable my wife attend' (missing 'to' before 'attend'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and apostrophes. While the meaning remains clear, these frequent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition 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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