Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to bring your attention to the trousers, I ordered last week. There were three of them in large size but differs in color, one of them was grey and the other two were black out of which one was with stripes at the bottom.

Initially, I was glad when I searched on the website that I have found something that I likes to wear. The grey colored trouser did not meet the requirements I expected. It was short in size than two others and when I checked the size on it, it was medium.

I bought these trousers for my trip to Canmore which is in two weeks from now, I was planning to have casual clothes with me especially during this time of the year. As grey is one of my favorite colors so, I do need this to be replaced with the actual size.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Arshdeep Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points of the task. You provided details of the purchase, clearly described the issue with the size of the grey trousers, and explained the urgency regarding your upcoming trip to Canmore. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To reach a higher band, ensure that the details are presented more clearly; for instance, the description of the three pairs of trousers was slightly confusing. Providing a more direct explanation of the desired outcome (e.g., a specific request for a return label or an exchange) would further strengthen the task fulfilment.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Initially' and 'as' to connect ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes slightly mechanical. For example, the transition between the description of the trousers and the reason for the purchase could be smoother. Additionally, the referencing in the first paragraph ('one of them was grey and the other two were black out of which one was with stripes') is a bit cluttered. Improving the use of linking phrases would help the text flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. You use relevant terms such as 'prompt response' and 'requirements'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'searched on the website that I have found' (should be 'found on the website') and 'short in size than' (should be 'smaller than'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the use of a more sophisticated range of vocabulary. Focusing on natural collocations will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('I likes to wear') and punctuation errors (the comma splice in the first sentence: '...trousers, I ordered'). Additionally, the phrase 'short in size than' is grammatically incorrect. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To improve, pay closer attention to verb forms and ensure that complex sentences are constructed with accurate punctuation and conjunctions.

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

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