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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter to you to complain about a bag that I purchase from your website and I am not satisfied with that.

On 25th August I purchased a bagpack for my daily uses. The look of a bag-classic and vintage in black colored with two compartments. After seeing and reading the positive reviews about this product I deciced to purchase this bag and after 4 days I received my bag which is very good and fast delivery I have ever received it. But after opening the packaging of my bag, chains are not working properly sometimes its stuck with the threads and material of the bag is very dirty. It does not look the same bag as I watch on your website.

As a result, I chose different bag instead of the previous one. I need this bagpack as urgent as possible because after three days I am not in this town and I need this bag to carry my personal items such as laptop. I do not have anything else that I can use.

I hope this letter draw your attention towrds your product's quality and I resolve my problem as quickly as possible.

Best regards,

Krish

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly identified the purchase, described the specific defects (stuck zippers and dirty material), and explained the urgency of the replacement due to your upcoming travel. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. To reach a higher band, ensure that the details are presented more clearly; for instance, the description of the bag's appearance is slightly fragmented, and the explanation of why you need a replacement could be more smoothly integrated into the narrative of your travel plans.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'As a result' and 'but', to connect ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between describing the delivery and the product defects is a bit abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'the bag') is consistent throughout the text to avoid ambiguity.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'compartments', 'packaging', and 'urgent'. However, there are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'bagpack' (backpack), 'daily uses' (daily use), and 'I watch on your website' (I saw on your website). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. Focusing on correct collocations and common phrasal verbs would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as tense inconsistencies ('I purchase' instead of 'I purchased') and subject-verb agreement issues ('chains are not working... its stuck'). Additionally, some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'I hope this letter draw your attention towrds your product's quality'. While these errors are frequent, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your message. Increasing your control over verb tenses and pluralization will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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