Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir/ Mam

I am writing this email to tell you that I brought one traditional dress from your site, it was in red colour with gold thread design. When I saw this dress on your site I brought but when it reached my excitement flew. The dress quality was not good and it seems different from original picture. I am not satisfied for your service.

Moving ahead I need urgent replacement because I was going to wear this dress on my friend's birthday party and her birthday coming in next week. I really like that dress so I need as soon as possible. I request you to please check everything according to the product details and send it back to me the same address. I will appreciate your efforts if you replace this dress.

Regards

Simran Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses all three bullet points: providing purchase details, describing the problem, and explaining the urgency. However, the letter is under the 150-word minimum requirement, which significantly impacts the score. The ideas are presented but lack development; for instance, the description of the 'problem' is vague ('quality was not good'), and the request for a replacement could be more formal and detailed. To improve, you should expand on the specific defects of the dress and provide more context regarding the purchase date or order number to ensure the task is fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into two clear paragraphs, which is appropriate for this task. There is a basic logical progression from the introduction of the issue to the request for action. However, the use of cohesive devices is limited and somewhat mechanical, such as 'Moving ahead'. The transitions between sentences are occasionally abrupt, and the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'as a result') to connect ideas more fluidly. The paragraphing is functional but basic.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'not good' and 'I need'. There are also some collocation errors, such as 'my excitement flew' (which is not a standard English idiom) and 'brought' instead of 'bought'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary related to retail and customer service, such as 'defective', 'discrepancy', 'expedite', or 'unsatisfactory'. The current range is sufficient for communication but does not demonstrate the flexibility required for higher scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'I brought one traditional dress' (should be 'bought'), 'it was in red colour' (should be 'red in colour'), and 'her birthday coming in next week' (missing auxiliary verb 'is'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly in the salutation and the lack of commas in complex sentences. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tenses will help improve your accuracy.

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

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