Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02

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 or Madam,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing regarding the purchase I did from your store online, last week and I am very disappointed by that product.

To begin with, I bought off white scarfs from your store 'Shreeji'. I have ordered twenty five scarfs with the measurement of 2cm x 2cm , along with a peacock design in the middle. In addition, a peacock is beaded with an embroidery work which increases its value and eye catching to people. Undoubtedly, I have received all the scarfs but few of them are not that good.

Moreover, the embroidery of the peacock in many of the scarfs have shredded and ruin its look. Whereas with others, the stitches of the scarfs corner is a quite loose, as it can destroy its fabric after one or two wash. I request you to replace all of them within two weeks, as I have to give scarfs as a return gift of my parents 25th wedding anniversary.

I am waiting for your reply and hope to get a best possible service from your end.

Thank you,

Yours sincerely,

Megha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all three bullet points of the task: providing purchase details, describing the defects, and explaining the urgency of the replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven. For instance, the description of the scarfs (2cm x 2cm) seems unrealistic for a scarf, which may confuse the reader. Additionally, the explanation for the urgency is clear, but the overall structure could be more refined to ensure the reader fully understands the impact of the damaged goods. Despite these minor issues, the purpose of the letter is clear and the requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. The use of cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'Moreover' helps guide the reader through the text. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Whereas with others, the stitches of the scarfs corner is a quite loose'. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, and paragraphing is used appropriately.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, though there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'shredded' is used incorrectly to describe embroidery, and 'best possible service' is a slightly unnatural phrasing. There is an attempt to use descriptive language ('eye catching', 'embroidery work'), but the range is somewhat limited. To reach a higher band, you should focus on more precise collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. Spelling is generally accurate, but the misuse of certain terms slightly impacts the precision of your complaint.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'the purchase I did' should be 'the purchase I made', and 'stitches of the scarfs corner is' contains subject-verb agreement errors ('stitches... are'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article usage issues throughout. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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