Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-31

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,

I hope you are doing good. Recently, I ordered a running shorts from your official website on 27th of August 2026. Now I am having issue with the color and the size of the clothing. Initially, I placed an order for a red color shorts. However, I got the wrong color. Additionally, the size does not fit for me as I bought a medium size but I received small instead.

Furthermore, I ordered this shorts because I having sports competition in my university in the next week and it is mandatory for every member in my relay race team to wear same color of shorts. consequently, I am requesting you to replace the product as soon as possible before the coming Friday with the right clothing and I hope this time I will receive the correct size and color.

I will be thankful to you for your help.

Yours faithfully,

Harpinder Singh.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly stated the details of the purchase (date and item), described the specific problems regarding color and size, and provided a logical reason for the urgency (the upcoming university sports competition). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To improve, you could provide more specific details, such as an order number, to make the request feel more authentic and professional. Overall, the task requirements are fully met with a clear purpose and relevant supporting details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized, with a clear progression from the purchase details to the problem and finally the requested solution. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, the body of the complaint, and the closing. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Furthermore', and 'consequently' to link ideas. However, the transition between the problem description and the urgency could be smoother. The overall structure is clear, and the message is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'official website', 'mandatory', and 'relay race'. However, there are some minor errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'ordered a running shorts' (should be 'a pair of running shorts') and 'the size does not fit for me' (should be 'does not fit me'). Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and using more precise business-related vocabulary would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'I having sports competition' is missing the auxiliary verb 'am', and 'wear same color' is missing the article 'the'. Additionally, 'consequently' is used as a conjunction at the start of a clause where a different connector might be more natural. Despite these errors, they do not impede communication, and the overall control of grammar is sufficient for the task.

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

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