Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-28

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 hope you are doing well. I am writing this email to complain about the product I recently ordered from your website, a blue formal, but the quality of material used was not the best.

To begin with, upon delivery everthing seemed as expected, but things turned when I used it for the first time, the color started fading as I went out in the sun. I am not sure why it happend, it seemed the quality was not as I was expecting. I use a lot of other colthing products from your brand, where I never faced any such issues previously. To make things clear, I have attached photos of the damaged product with this mail.

To resolve the issue, I would like to get an urgent replacement, as I have a job interview scheduled for next week, which was my primary reason was to purchase. I am looking forward to get a prompt response from you.

Yours faithfully,

John Doe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You provided details of the purchase, described the fading color issue, and explained the urgency regarding your job interview. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide specific details about the purchase, such as an order number or the specific name of the clothing item, rather than just 'a blue formal'. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with' and 'To resolve the issue' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the sentence 'things turned when I used it' is a bit abrupt. Using a wider variety of linking words or more sophisticated referencing would improve the cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'prompt response' and 'damaged product'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'a blue formal' is not a standard way to describe a piece of clothing; 'a formal blue shirt' or 'a formal dress' would be more precise. Additionally, 'everthing' is a spelling error. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring accurate spelling throughout your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'things turned when I used it' (missing a conjunction or semicolon) and 'which was my primary reason was to purchase' (redundant verb usage). There are also minor punctuation errors, such as comma splices. To achieve a higher band, focus on reducing these small errors and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater grammatical precision.

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

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