Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-19

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 Sir,

Hope you are doing well. I have recently purchased a formal white shirt from your company on last Wednesday on August 12,2026 and which i have received on August 17,2026. The shirt is basically made with nylon and looking pearl white colour. I have bought this for an event helding on next week at my workplace. All employee will wear this colour shirt as a dress code.

When i was received this shirt and I tried by wearing it on my body and i feel tight in this shirt. The main problem is size of the shirt. I bought a size Medium which i regularly wearing all my shirts. This shirt is also i ordered as my size but now am feeling tight while wearing this shirt.

As there is an event at my workplace on August 25, 2026 organised by our company. I have to wear this shirt on that event as a dress code so, now i need a one bigger size in this same piece of shirt as soon as possible because date is nearby of an event. Can you please replace this shirt with Large size. I hope you will work on this and help me out with this problem.

Yours faithfully

Parmjit

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You provided the purchase details, clearly described the sizing issue, and explained the urgency regarding the upcoming workplace event. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To reach a higher band, ensure that all information is presented with greater precision; for example, the description of the shirt's material and color is slightly repetitive and could be more concise. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader understands exactly what action is required.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'when', 'as', and 'because' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of transition words could be more varied to improve the natural progression of the text. For instance, the transition between the description of the shirt and the problem could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the letter follows a standard formal structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message effectively. You use relevant terms like 'purchased', 'formal shirt', and 'dress code'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'helding on next week' (should be 'being held next week') and 'looking pearl white colour' (should be 'is pearl white'). To improve, focus on using more precise adjectives and natural phrasing for business correspondence. The vocabulary is sufficient for the task but lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and prepositions, such as 'on last Wednesday' (remove 'on'), 'when i was received' (should be 'when I received'), and 'i need a one bigger size' (should be 'I need a larger size'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage also need attention. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score in this criterion.

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

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