Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22

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/Ma,

I am writing this email to express my disasatisfation on the purchase of some fabrics and garments I made at your store online last week Monday, to precise 15th August.

The goods were delivered to me by your company dispatch rider. It comes with the batch number NG127WRTZ. It was delivered to me at the agreed time which impressed me.

In all honesty, I was happy with the purchase initially because your representatives were amazing, they spoke politely on phone. But when I opened the package, I was disappointed. The fabric was so dirty, and the cloth was stained to the extent that the color could not be known.

I would like if the management could plan to replace my items. This is because the cloth is meant to be worn for my sister's birthday party on Saturday while the fabrics is to be exported to my cousin in Canada that same day.

Thanks, as I look forward to receiving it.

Yours faithfully,

Femi.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly identified the purchase details, described the condition of the items, and provided a logical reason for needing an urgent replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter of complaint, although the opening salutation 'Dear Sir/Ma' is slightly informal. The ideas are well-developed, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To improve, ensure that the tone remains consistently formal throughout and that all specific details, such as the date and batch number, are integrated smoothly into the narrative.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving from the purchase details to the problem and finally the request for action. You used some cohesive devices, such as 'In all honesty' and 'This is because', to link your thoughts. However, the transitions between sentences could be more varied to improve the flow. Some sentences feel slightly disjointed, and the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic. Using a wider range of linking words would help create a more professional and sophisticated structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly, such as 'disappointed', 'management', and 'replacement'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'disasatisfation' and 'cloth' used where 'garments' or 'items' would be more precise. The phrasing 'the color could not be known' is slightly unnatural. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring accurate spelling. While your vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more sophisticated descriptors would enhance the overall quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'last week Monday, to precise 15th August' (should be 'to be precise') and 'the fabrics is' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, 'It comes with' should be in the past tense ('It came with') to maintain consistency. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will significantly improve your grammatical accuracy.

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

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