Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-03

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 am writing a letter regarding my purchase, which I ordered two weeks ago from your official site www.amazon.com.

I was using your site since last 3 years. Two weeks ago I ordered navy blue t-shirt and skin colour trouser with the transaction id [redacted phone] but i got a different colour of shirt as well as trouser. The shirt has dark blue colour which is not matching with the online description of product and the trouser has rough quality of cotton.

I ordered this dress for my upcoming function but i am not satisfied my the colour and quality of product which i got it. So, my function will be after 10 days, can you replace my order urgently because i did not buy any other clothes if it is possible just reply me back.

Your sincerely

Jaspreet Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: purchase details, the problem, and the need for an urgent replacement. However, the response is 143 words, which is below the 150-word minimum requirement. This under-length impacts the development of the ideas, particularly the explanation of why the replacement is needed urgently, which remains somewhat brief. To improve, you should expand on the context of the function or the specific nature of the dissatisfaction to ensure the response is sufficiently developed and meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure, beginning with the purpose of the email and moving through the required points. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire body of the letter is contained in one block, which makes it harder to follow. The use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and repetitive (e.g., 'so', 'and'). To achieve a higher band, you should use clear paragraph breaks for each main point and incorporate a wider range of linking words, such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'however', to improve the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'rough quality of cotton' and 'not matching with the online description' are understandable but could be more sophisticated. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'skin colour trouser' (should be 'beige' or 'tan') and 'my the colour' (a typo). To improve, focus on using more precise adjectives and collocations related to retail and customer service, such as 'substandard quality' or 'discrepancy in the product description'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'I was using your site since last 3 years' (should be 'have been using'), 'i got a different colour' (capitalization error), and 'my function will be after 10 days' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of 'i' instead of 'I'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focus on verb tenses and consistent capitalization.

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

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