Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent online purchase through your website on April 15th. I heard a lot about your product quality and reasonable prices through some of my friends. Therefore, I ordered some t-shirts last week for my college attire. I was extremely excited and genuinely happy to get my parcel on April 25th as per the confirmation email.

However, upon arrival, I was really disappointed because of the sizes, which were too large for me. I ordered a small size after matching my exact size to the description given below the picture.

I would like to get a replacement within two weeks. Because my college classes will be starting soon, and I have not bought other clothes due to shortage of money. If there is any particular criterion that I need to follow to return these product, let me know as soon as possible. So that this issue gets solved immediately.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Rahul

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: purchase details, the nature of the problem, and the reason for an urgent replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. The ideas are clearly expressed, and the purpose of the letter is immediately evident. The response is well-structured, and the student successfully conveys the urgency of the situation regarding the college classes. All parts of the task are addressed effectively, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0 or higher.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph serving a clear purpose. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the purchase details to the problem and finally the requested action. Cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'However', and 'Because' are used effectively to link sentences. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sections of the letter. The flow is natural, and the reader can easily follow the writer's intent throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and conveys the message clearly. Phrases like 'express my dissatisfaction' and 'as per the confirmation email' are appropriate for a formal letter. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it lacks a wide range of less common or idiomatic expressions that would elevate it to a higher band. There are no significant errors in word choice, and the language used is natural and fits the context of a customer complaint well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a good command of grammar with a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is generally accurate. There is a minor grammatical slip in the sentence 'If there is any particular criterion that I need to follow to return these product', where 'product' should be plural ('products'). Additionally, the sentence fragment 'So that this issue gets solved immediately' could be better integrated into the previous sentence. Overall, the control is strong, and errors do not impede communication.

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.