Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I recently did the shopping from your website and the product is not same as i expected. Also, i checked there is a exchange and refund policy for the item.

I purchased one of the dress which was of black polo dot dress made with cotton material. The size I ordered was medium. It was having a little white floral print on sleeves. I ordered this item on 25August,2026 around 7pm EST.

I got that dress in different size along with this, it was of different fabric from the description. Furthermore, there were some holes in dress too. As a reason for this i want a replacement for this dress as soon as possible.

I need the different product of the same item i ordered , with in this week. Because i have my convocation after 2 weeks and this is the only dress i would like to wear. It's my humble request to you please exchange this dress with in this week.

Your Faithfully,

Isha Goyal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the task. You provided details of the purchase, described the defects (wrong size, fabric, and holes), and explained the urgency regarding your convocation. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, ensure that the details provided are more cohesive and that the request for a replacement is integrated more smoothly into the narrative of the letter. The purpose of the letter is clear throughout, and the reader is left in no doubt about your requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'Because', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. For example, the start of the second and third paragraphs could be linked more naturally to the preceding text. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph flows logically into the next would strengthen this score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'replacement', 'convocation', and 'fabric'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'did the shopping' (should be 'made a purchase') and 'not same as i expected' (should be 'not the same as I expected'). Additionally, 'polo dot' should be 'polka dot'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise vocabulary usage to reach a higher band. Focus on learning common collocations used in formal business correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Common issues include missing articles ('in dress', 'the dress'), incorrect verb forms ('It was having'), and capitalization errors (the pronoun 'i' should always be capitalized). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement around dates and clauses. While the meaning remains clear despite these errors, the frequency of these slips prevents a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage to improve your accuracy.

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

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