Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-23

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 or Madam,

I am writing this correspondence to showcase my dissatisfaction towards a short A-shaped crop top and jeans I purchased online.

Two weeks ago, I had scrolled down your website for looking over clothing section, out of which one crop top and pair of jeans locked my eyes and I ordered it. The order number is A-36782. As per description, the fabric is well-softened and cozy from inside.

This purchase has turned down my expectations into nightmare when I received this yesterday. The order was not packed properly because I ordered navy blue jeans; however it got me panicked when I saw cloudy shaded pants. Not only this, the top' fabric was screwed up completely as it is cotton not silk.

As you know, being a loyal customer for 2 years, I should have given a liability of delivering the best customer service and quality product. I would really appreciate if this order should be replaced immediately and provide me with the exact stuff I ordered. I hope I will get this soon.

Yours sincerely,

Navjeet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: purchase details, the nature of the problem, and the need for an urgent replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint, although it occasionally veers into overly emotive language, such as describing the situation as a 'nightmare'. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. To reach a higher band, ensure that the explanation for the urgency is more explicitly linked to a specific event or deadline, rather than just stating a general desire for the items.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'not only this' and 'however', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly within paragraphs, as some sentences feel slightly disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of awkward collocations and non-standard phrasing. For example, 'showcase my dissatisfaction' is not a natural collocation in this context, and 'screwed up completely' is too informal for a formal complaint. Phrases like 'locked my eyes' and 'well-softened' also sound unnatural. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited by these stylistic inaccuracies. Using more precise, formal business terminology would significantly improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'scrolled down your website for looking over clothing section' (should be 'to look at the clothing section') and 'the top' fabric' (incorrect possessive). Additionally, 'I should have given a liability' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the writing.

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.