Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-29

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,

Letter to request a replacement of the dress.

Good morning sir, My name is Rajpreet Kaur, live at 15102 72 Ave, Surrey, BC. I bought a red velvet dress code M0493 on 26 August, 2026 from your company. I did the payment online by card ending XXX496.

Unfortunately, the dress is not looking good at me because I ordered smaller size of it which is loose to me. Besides this, I found the dress more simple and dull in colour, which doesn't give me shine and grace. Therefore, I want to replace this dress with extra small size dress that fits me properly.

Moving further, my graduation ceremony will take place on the next week, so, I request you to make a replacement urgently and deliver the new dress that have a white bow at the back with some pearls, code W0936 to my residential address. My phone number is [redacted phone].

I hope you will consider my request and make a replacement as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Rajpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: purchase details, the nature of the problem, and the urgency of the replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'Good morning sir' is slightly unusual for a written complaint. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented, though the explanation of the problem is slightly contradictory (stating the dress is 'loose' while also saying it is 'smaller size'). Overall, the task is fully addressed, and the purpose of the communication is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately', 'Besides this', 'Therefore', and 'Moving further' are used to link sentences and paragraphs effectively. While the flow is generally smooth, the transition between the description of the problem and the request for a specific replacement could be more refined. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the body of the complaint, and the closing request.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'not looking good at me' and 'more simple and dull'. However, the writer successfully uses specific terminology related to the task, such as 'residential address' and 'graduation ceremony'. While the range is sufficient, it lacks the more sophisticated or precise collocations that would elevate the response to a higher band. The spelling is accurate throughout the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'I ordered smaller size of it which is loose to me' (should be 'a smaller size... which is loose on me') and 'the new dress that have a white bow' (should be 'that has'). Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and communication is successful. Punctuation is generally handled well, and the sentence variety is sufficient for a letter of this nature.

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

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