Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

dear sir/madam

I am writing this letter regarding my bag, which was i left in the plane last week when i was traveling to london.It was a huge mistake i done unintentionally, flight was already delayed for some reasons and i was late for a meeting so i prefer to pace my speed to attend that meeting as soon as possible while this i forget to pick my bag from the case. The reason of my worry to get that bag immedeitly because its filled with full of my important stuff such as my documents, laptop and phone Accesories which i need the most.

Furthurmore, the colour of the bag is grey and the brand name is American tourists which appears on the top, its a mixture of a bag pack and laptop bag with two strips to carry with a key chain of a panda to find easily.

I request you to check the list of stolen bags or suitcases and send a message with my name and details of my flight. If you need any additional information in my details my cellphone number and email mentioned already.

i look forward to your response.

Your faithfully,

Rajat Kumar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response fails to address the task instructions. The prompt explicitly asks you to write to a company regarding a clothing purchase you are dissatisfied with. Instead, you have written a letter to an airline regarding a lost bag. Because the content is entirely off-topic and does not address the specific requirements of the prompt (clothing purchase, dissatisfaction, replacement request), it cannot be assessed as a successful response to the task. To improve, ensure you read the prompt carefully and identify the specific scenario and requirements before beginning your draft.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter is divided into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the logical progression is hindered by the fact that the content does not match the prompt. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical, such as 'Furthermore' and 'The reason of my worry'. While the ideas are linked, the overall structure is undermined by the lack of relevance to the task. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph serves a clear purpose in fulfilling the specific requirements of the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and contains several errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'immedeitly' (immediately), 'Accesories' (accessories), and 'strips' (straps). The phrasing is often unnatural, for example, 'I prefer to pace my speed' and 'its filled with full of'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the range of vocabulary is basic and lacks the precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning correct collocations and proofreading for common spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with verb tense ('which was i left'), sentence structure ('flight was already delayed for some reasons and i was late'), and punctuation. The use of capital letters is inconsistent, particularly with 'london' and the pronoun 'i'. The sentence structures are often repetitive and lack complexity. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of articles and capitalization.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.