Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-30

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter to my dissatifaction to raise an issue regarding low quality of product bought from you company.

I am very fond of buying high branded clothes, last week i was looking to buy some jeans for myself. I have gone through many websites, at last found Levi brand is suitable for me.

Due to my unavailability of time from my busy schedule, instead of visiting the local physical showroom. I rather found suitable to bought five numbers of Levi's brand jeans costing Rs 20000/- through Myntra Application on dated 22 August 2026.

After receiving the items, found myself unhappy due to many issues like, the quality is very low and color is mismatching compare to displayed on website. The cloth quality mentioned pure cotton but found mix synthetic.

It is clearly mentioned in your manually, change of clothes due to unsatisfaction of customer.

Looking forward to hear from you to replace the items as early as possible.

Regards

Naved Akhtar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: purchase details, the problem, and the need for a replacement. However, the third requirement—explaining why the replacement is needed urgently—is not addressed. The student mentions wanting a replacement but fails to provide a reason for the urgency, which is a key part of the prompt. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint, though the structure is slightly disjointed. To improve, ensure every bullet point is fully developed with specific reasons or justifications.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for a formal letter. However, the flow between ideas is sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition between the purchase details and the description of the problem is abrupt. The use of cohesive devices is limited, and some sentences feel like a list of facts rather than a cohesive narrative. Improving the use of linking words such as 'consequently,' 'furthermore,' or 'in addition' would help the ideas progress more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision. There are several awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'my dissatifaction to raise an issue' (should be 'to express my dissatisfaction') and 'manually' (likely meant 'manual' or 'policy'). The phrase 'high branded clothes' is also non-standard. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and the errors in word formation and collocation prevent a higher score. Expanding your range of formal business terminology would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with verb forms ('found suitable to bought'), article usage ('the quality is very low'), and sentence structure. Many sentences are fragmented or contain run-on structures, such as 'Due to my unavailability... I rather found suitable to bought...'. While the message is understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction impacts the overall quality. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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