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 am writing this to express my dissatisfaction from the product that I recently purchased from your online company.

I ordered a white T-shirt with a tiger print on it a few days ago under the name of Sam. The order was delivered on time and at right place but the one thing that disappointed me was I received a wrong colored T-shirt. Also the size was not up to the standard size which was mentioned on your company's site. Due to which the T- shirt was too uncomfortable for me to wear for even a few hours.

I am requesting you to replace me that product with correct size and color as I need to wear that in my upcoming college function which would be in next 2 weeks. According to the replacement policy of your brand the request should be done within 1 week of purchase, which I already did. I have already placed another order which I need to be delivered as soon as possible.

I hope you will understand the urgency that I have and hoping to get correct product next time.

Yours faithfully,

D

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: providing purchase details, describing the problem (wrong color and size), and explaining the urgency of the replacement for a college function. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. The ideas are clearly presented, and the purpose of the letter is evident from the start. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific details, such as an order number or the specific name of the item, to make the request feel more authentic and professional.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Due to which' and 'According to', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, although the phrase 'replace me that product' is slightly awkward. Overall, the structure is sound, and the information flows well from the introduction to the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dissatisfaction', 'replacement policy', and 'urgency'. However, there are some minor collocation errors, such as 'dissatisfaction from the product' (should be 'with') and 'replace me that product' (should be 'replace that product for me'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise word choice. Expanding your vocabulary to include more idiomatic or precise business-related phrases would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'at right place' (missing article 'the'), 'wrong colored T-shirt' (should be 'wrong-colored'), and 'which would be in next 2 weeks' (should be 'which is in the next two weeks'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause confusion for the reader. To improve, focus on article usage and consistent verb tense agreement, particularly when discussing future events or policies.

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

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