Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-26

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 am writing because of my dissatisfaction about the product that I have ordered through your online store. The item arrived at my post early this morning and I opened it straight away. I was shocked because I got the wrong color, Instead of red they delivered a blue color . I have ordered a skirt that was red in color for my grand daughter’s birthday for the next 3 days. The party was themed as a red. I am requesting a replacement urgently as I need it on August 30 and I need to travel August 29 going to the Venue.

Here is my contact details [redacted phone] for faster transaction and If you need more information. Hope you can fix and replace the item urgently as I need it urgent.

Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for your assistance .

Yours respectfully,

Ivory

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points: providing purchase details, describing the issue (wrong color), and explaining the urgency (granddaughter's birthday). The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of the urgency could be more clearly linked to the specific date constraints to ensure the reader fully understands the time pressure. While the task is fully addressed, the expression of ideas lacks the sophistication required for a higher band, as the narrative feels a bit rushed and repetitive in its focus on the 'urgent' nature of the request.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the description of the problem and the request for a replacement is abrupt. There is a lack of variety in linking words, and some sentences feel disjointed, such as the sudden introduction of contact details. While the overall progression is clear, the flow could be improved by using a wider range of cohesive devices to connect ideas more fluidly between and within paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'urgent' and 'urgently' are used multiple times, which reduces the lexical variety. There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'arrived at my post' (instead of 'arrived in the post') and 'party was themed as a red' (which is grammatically awkward). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary and avoid repeating the same words in close proximity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing because of my dissatisfaction about' (should be 'with'), 'Instead of red they delivered a blue color' (punctuation error), and 'I need to travel August 29 going to the Venue' (preposition and phrasing issues). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly regarding capitalization and sentence boundaries. Increasing the variety of error-free complex structures would improve this score.

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

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