Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Mr Sharma,

I hope you are doing well! I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction regarding recent purchase from your store. Winter is coming so I did lots of shopping from your store for me and for my friend also whom birthday is coming next month. I spent $1000 on shopping regardless of that I am not happy.

The problem with some clothes is damage which I did not expect from this brand as it is very popular among people. Moreover, weird type of smell is there in all clothes so I cannot wear these.

As I told you some clothes I purchased for my friend to gift on her birthday which is coming soon I cannot wait too longer so I will appreciate if you can replace it as soon as possible or issue a refund for me instead of replacement.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Sukhan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: providing purchase details, describing the problem, and explaining the urgency. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For example, you mention 'damage' but do not specify what kind of damage, and the explanation for the urgency is a bit repetitive. To reach a higher band, try to provide more specific details, such as order numbers or dates, and expand slightly more on the impact of the situation. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'Dear Mr Sharma' contradicts the prompt's instruction to begin with 'Dear Sir or Madam'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'As I told you' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and the transition between the introduction and the body could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure could benefit from a more formal closing and a clearer distinction between the problem description and the requested action. The paragraphing is sufficient for this task type.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use a range of vocabulary that is adequate for the task, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'replacement', and 'refund'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'weird type of smell is there' and 'I did lots of shopping'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and formal business terminology. For instance, instead of 'weird type of smell', you could use 'unpleasant odor'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'whom birthday is coming' (should be 'whose birthday'), 'I cannot wait too longer' (should be 'any longer'), and 'regardless of that I am not happy' (which is awkward phrasing). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of your message. To achieve a higher score, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of relative pronouns and comparative structures.

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

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