Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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 or Madam,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing to tell you regarding dissatisfaction with your delivery of School bags that i recently received.

Actually I have ordered 3 School bags with different colors on August 25,2026. Yesterday I have received my order but unfortunately the colors of all bags are same and sizes are different. If children will take the same color School bags so it’s difficult for them and as well as for teacher to differentiate.

Furthermore, I did not ordered the light blue colour bags which one easily getting dirty and it’s difficult to wash School bags every day. I need different colour bags with different sizes, according to ages and heights of the children as i ordered before.

I would therefore be grateful if you could replace these bags on urgent basis. I hope this matter will be resolved as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully

Hira Immad

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly identified the purchase, described the issue with the colors and sizes, and explained the need for a replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. However, the development of ideas is slightly limited; for instance, the explanation regarding why you need the bags urgently could be more persuasive. While the task is fully addressed, the supporting details could be expanded slightly to ensure the reader fully understands the impact of the error on your specific situation. Overall, the response is functional and meets the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate the different points of the complaint, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore' and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and some transitions could be smoother. For example, the connection between the color issue and the need for a replacement could be better integrated. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the structure is appropriate for a formal letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dissatisfaction', 'differentiate', and 'urgently'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'tell you regarding' instead of 'express my dissatisfaction with' and 'did not ordered' (which is a grammatical error affecting lexical accuracy). Additionally, 'on urgent basis' should be 'on an urgent basis'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You should focus on using more natural collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'I have ordered' (should be 'I ordered' for a finished time in the past), 'colors of all bags are same' (missing article 'the'), and 'I did not ordered' (incorrect verb form after 'did'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, though there are some issues with spacing after commas. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the writing.

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

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