Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
Dear sir or madam,
i am going to express my point of view on my online purchase order, andam not satisfy with it. i order my clothes from shein company. one day am just explore to shein app and i more impressed from that clothes which i saw in mens collection because that was looking very handsome also good quality, moreover am more shocked from price, because i supposed price for that clothes very high but at the checkin point stuck my eyes on one place, so i felt over the moon, whereas when i received my parcel and i tried to clothes which was not okay by size and quailty, which i saw in pictures, due to which i decided never buy any clothes again,while i wore that clothes on my birthday party and i could not replace clothes at a time, at the end i inform to company do it replace to me into good quality.
your faithfully
Navpreet singh
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The letter addresses all three bullet points: purchase details, the problem, and the need for a replacement. However, the development of these points is quite weak. The description of the purchase is vague, and the explanation of why a replacement is needed urgently is not clearly articulated; the mention of a birthday party is confusingly placed and does not effectively convey the urgency required for a formal complaint. The tone is inconsistent and often inappropriate for a formal business letter, lacking the professional distance expected in this task type.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter lacks a clear paragraph structure, which is essential for a formal letter. It is written as a single, run-on block of text. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices like 'moreover' and 'whereas', they are used incorrectly or in a way that does not improve the flow of ideas. The progression of information is disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the narrative of the complaint. The lack of proper sentence boundaries and paragraphing significantly hinders the overall coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is very limited and often inaccurate. Phrases like 'am just explore to shein app' and 'stuck my eyes on one place' are non-standard and impede clarity. The student relies on basic, repetitive language and struggles with collocations (e.g., 'inform to company do it replace to me'). There is little evidence of the ability to use less common vocabulary or formal register appropriate for a complaint letter. The errors in word choice are frequent and occasionally cause confusion for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The grammar is highly problematic throughout the text. There are frequent errors in verb tense ('i order my clothes'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure. Many sentences are run-on or fragmented, lacking proper punctuation and capitalization. The use of complex structures is attempted but consistently results in errors, such as 'due to which i decided never buy any clothes again'. The high frequency of basic grammatical errors makes the text difficult to read and significantly impacts the clarity of the message.
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.