Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25

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 or Madam,

I'm writing this letter to inform you that, I'm not satisfied with my last online cloth purchase.

Myself Shiva purchased brown leather jacket for my friend as a birthday present on 23/05/26.

The product was delivered on correct time, but the problem is with product quality and color and size. I ordered brown one, instead I got a black color and it is not made of leather. In addition to this, the size was small, where I requested for medium with a hole in the jacket on shoulder region. I'm completely not satisfied with this order delivery.

I need immediate replacement with the following specifications brown leather jacket with medium size, as my friend birthday is in upcoming week. Without gift, I can not attend his party because I promised him that I will purchase his favorite clothing for his birthday.

So, I request to take action on this as soon as possible and come up with a suitable solution.

Your Sincerely,

Shiva.

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 is slightly uneven; while the issues with the jacket are clearly listed, the explanation for the urgency is a bit repetitive. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is left in no doubt about what is required. To reach a higher band, ensure that the explanation of the urgency is more concise and professional, avoiding overly personal justifications like 'I promised him'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the introduction of the problem to specific details and finally the requested action. Paragraphing is used, although the body paragraphs could be more clearly separated for better readability. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'In addition to this' and 'So', but the flow is occasionally interrupted by slightly awkward phrasing. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the description of the defects and the request for a replacement could be smoother to improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate the specific issues (e.g., 'product quality', 'specifications', 'replacement'). However, there are some unnatural collocations and word choices, such as 'online cloth purchase' (should be 'clothing purchase') and 'on correct time' (should be 'on time'). The phrasing 'Myself Shiva' is also non-standard in formal English. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message clearly, it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I'm writing this letter to inform you that, I'm not' (incorrect comma usage), 'instead I got a black color' (missing article), and 'as my friend birthday is' (missing possessive 's'). Additionally, 'Your Sincerely' is an incorrect sign-off; it should be 'Yours sincerely'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct punctuation would significantly improve the accuracy.

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

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