Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope you are doing great. I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent purchase from your online website. The item was ordered on Monday, 10th August and the package was delivered on 20th August. I was disappointed to find that the size I ordered was not sent to me, however an extra small size was delivered to me instead of medium one.

On the other hand, I found out that the dress was damaged and defective piece with a bad smell in it. It seems that it was took out of some store and was not a fresh piece with a bad odour.

Since the replacement is needed urgently due to the farewell I have to attend at my office, I would appreciate if there would be an apology coupon as a gesture of remorse so that I can maintain my trust on this brand and continue ordering in the future as well and recommend that to my friends and family.

Yours faithfully,

Mehwish Cheema

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the task: purchase details, the nature of the problem, and the urgency of the replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven. While the description of the size error is clear, the explanation regarding the 'bad smell' and the suggestion that it was 'took out of some store' is somewhat informal and lacks professional precision. To reach a higher band, ensure that all explanations maintain a consistent, formal business tone throughout the entire letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the purpose of the email to the specific issues and finally the requested resolution. Paragraphing is used, although the transition between the size issue and the quality issue could be smoother. The use of cohesive devices like 'On the other hand' and 'Since' helps to link ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The overall progression of the letter is clear, and the reader can easily follow the writer's argument from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their message clearly. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as 'dissatisfaction' and 'gesture of remorse'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'fresh piece' and 'bad odour', which sound slightly unnatural in a business context. Additionally, the phrase 'maintain my trust on this brand' is slightly inaccurate; 'maintain my trust in this brand' would be the correct prepositional usage. The range is sufficient but lacks the sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'it was took out' is incorrect; it should be 'it had been taken out'. There is also a minor error in 'recommend that to my friends', where 'it' would be more appropriate than 'that'. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure in the final paragraph is quite long and slightly run-on, which impacts the overall flow. These errors do not impede communication but are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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