Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing about my experience in recent purchase from online. Usually, I am buying my outfits from "Mango" in store. I bought first time from "Mango" official online website and I was very disappointed.

I went to the store to purchase the party gown for my friend's birthday party. I tried medium size as I like the color and design but it was quite loose, there is no Small size available. So manager looked their online site and suggested me to order Small size from online site and it will deliver in 3 days.

I ordered at that time when I was at store. I received the gown on time but problem is zip on side is not working and also there is a stain in back side of dress. I like this gown that has Zip because of perfect fitting. I want an urgent replacement as I want to wear in 2 days. I will go to store if they can fix my zip issue but for the stain I need an replacement.

Hope so you understood my situation and give me a perfect gown on time which I ordered.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: providing purchase details, describing the defects, and explaining the urgency of the replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint letter. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven; for instance, the explanation of why you were at the store initially is a bit wordy, while the description of the defects could be more concise. To improve, ensure that your purpose is stated clearly in the opening sentence and that the transition between the store visit and the online order is smoother. Overall, the task requirements are met effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the task. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'So' and 'but', to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions are abrupt. For example, the jump from the store visit to the online order could be better connected with linking phrases like 'Consequently' or 'Following the manager's advice'. Additionally, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the reference to 'a perfect gown' could be more precisely linked to the previous context.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'disappointed', 'replacement', and 'fitting'. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'experience in recent purchase from online' (should be 'my recent online purchase') and 'stain in back side' (should be 'on the back'). You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle with collocations. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology related to retail and customer service, and pay closer attention to prepositions and article usage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include missing articles ('I bought first time from...'), incorrect verb tenses ('I am buying my outfits'), and subject-verb agreement errors ('there is no Small size available'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are noticeable and occur regularly. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with articles, verb tenses, and sentence construction, as these errors currently limit your score.

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

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