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/Mam,

I hope you are doing well. I just received the parcel that I ordered few days ago from your company but I am facing several issues.

I ordered two pairs of shoes in black and white color, Three T-Shirts of Adidas and two formal pants. I had several issues , the pants are two faded and look like used one. Even shoes size is different as I orders 7-UK but I got 7-US. However, Two T-shirts are perfectly fine but one has big hole look like a rat chew it .

The main reason to sent you this letter, I am going abroad next Sunday and I suppose to take this cloths to wear because I am going to stay there for atleast one week for business purposes. So, It will be really appreciated to replace these clothing before Saturday.

I am eagerly waiting to receive positive reply from you.

Your faithful,

Aaryan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the task: details of the purchase, the specific problems with the items, and the urgency of the replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the description of the damaged T-shirt is slightly informal ('look like a rat chew it'), and the explanation for the urgency could be more professionally articulated. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the response lacks the depth and polish required for a higher band score, as some descriptions are slightly repetitive or imprecise.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the purchase details to the specific issues and finally the request for action. Paragraphing is present, though the transition between the list of items and the specific problems could be smoother. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic; for instance, the use of 'However' and 'So' is functional but repetitive. The flow of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between sentences occasionally feels mechanical, which prevents the response from reaching a higher level of cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate the nature of the complaints effectively. However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'two faded' instead of 'too faded' or 'look like used one' instead of 'look used'. The phrase 'look like a rat chew it' is grammatically incorrect and stylistically inappropriate for a formal business letter. To improve, the student should focus on more precise adjectives and standard business collocations to convey dissatisfaction more professionally.

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 ordered few days ago' (missing article), 'I orders 7-UK' (incorrect verb tense), and 'I suppose to take' (missing auxiliary verb). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage and capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a lack of control over complex structures, keeping the score in the mid-range.

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

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