Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-20

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 Sir,

This is in regards to my recent purchase on your website. I placed the order on July 15 which i received yesterday. I bought some clothes and accessories. Unfortunately iam unhappy with the order i received.

I had purchased two t-shirts, bracelet and few earrings. Earrings are fine, but t-shirts and bracelet are not what i expected.

T-shirt is too big for me. Measurement mentioned on the website for small size T-shirt are my usual measurement, hence i order the small size. However, when tried it it did not fit me well. Additionally, bracelet beads are quite faded and looks old.

I want a replacement soon as i had order that for my sister's birthday party which is in 10 days on September 02. Let me know the replacement process so that i can return these products and get another one. I would really appreciate your earliest response for my order.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: purchase details, the nature of the problem, and the urgency of the replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, while you mention the t-shirt size issue, providing more specific details about the discrepancy between the website's size guide and the actual product would have strengthened the response. The request for a replacement is clear, and the inclusion of the specific date for the birthday party effectively justifies the urgency required by the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'Additionally,' to link your points. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited, and some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to create a more natural, sophisticated narrative throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'purchase,' 'measurement,' and 'replacement.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'looks old' instead of 'appears worn' or 'tarnished.' To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more precise adjectives and collocations that demonstrate a broader control of the language in a formal context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is missing before 'bracelet' and 'earrings') and subject-verb agreement ('I had order that' should be 'I had ordered that'). Additionally, there are punctuation and capitalization errors, such as the lowercase 'i' used throughout the text. These errors are frequent enough to prevent a higher score, although they do not impede the overall communication of your request.

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.