Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear sir,

I am Manjit Kaur. I am writing this letter regarding the purchases of the clothes I bought from the name of new fashion company the Last Friday on the 27 August 2026. I bought a pair of pants in black color. The size of the pants is small for my waist, and the quality of the clothes is really cheap.

I ordered a 43 inches waist size of pants but I got a 46 inches of waist, so I had to phase a really big problem, because I have to wear this pants on my birthday and that day is really special for me. However ,I need a replacement of this pair of jeans urgently because my birthday is in next 3 days and I have no other new pants that I can wear on my birthday.

I hope I will get a positive response from your side.

Yours faithfully

Manjit Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: purchase details, the specific problem, and the urgency of the replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation of the problem is clear, but the description of the quality as 'really cheap' is vague. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific details about the fabric or the nature of the defect. The purpose of the letter is clear throughout, and the reader is left in no doubt about what you require from the company.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into three distinct paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'because'. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the description of the size issue and the urgency of the birthday is a bit abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on simple descriptors like 'really cheap' and 'really big problem'. While these convey the message, they do not demonstrate the range of vocabulary expected at higher bands. There are also some minor collocation issues, such as 'phase a really big problem' (likely meant 'face'). To improve, focus on using more precise adjectives and verbs that are specific to the context of retail complaints, such as 'substandard quality' or 'incorrect sizing'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'regarding the purchases of the clothes' (should be singular 'purchase'), 'in black color' (should be 'in black'), and 'in next 3 days' (should be 'in the next 3 days'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, and proofread your work to catch these small but frequent slips.

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

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