Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-06

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/Madam,

I am writing this letter to inform you about an maxi dress that I recently purchased online from Zara.

It is a light-blue denim dress. I wanted to wear it on my graduation ceremony that is happening on this coming Tuesday.

But I felt really disappointed because i received the wrong color, it was grey, Also the zip at the back side of the dress was damaged. I was pretty excited while making an order because the dress looked chic and suitable for the event.

The dress was costly, I saved my pocket money in order to make an purchase. Additionally, there are just couple of days left in my graduation. Therefore, I would respectfully request you to make a replacement as soon as possible.

I have my all the details mentioned under my account on the company's website.

I am looking forward to hear from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Mehak.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: purchase details, the problem, and the need for an urgent replacement. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation of why the dress is needed urgently is brief. The letter is functional and addresses the prompt effectively, though it lacks the depth required for a higher band score. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the reader is left in no doubt about the writer's requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is present, though the indentation is inconsistent and distracting. Cohesive devices such as 'But', 'Also', and 'Therefore' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving from the purchase to the specific issues and finally to the requested resolution. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the structure could be improved by better integrating the sentences within the paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some attempts at more specific language like 'disappointed', 'costly', and 'respectfully'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'make an purchase' (should be 'make a purchase') and 'there are just couple of days left in my graduation' (should be 'until my graduation'). The range is sufficient to convey the message clearly, but it lacks the sophistication or precision that would characterize a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentences. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'an maxi dress' (should be 'a maxi dress'), 'i received' (should be capitalized), and 'I have my all the details' (awkward word order). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some comma splices, such as 'the wrong color, it was grey'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. A wider range of error-free complex structures would be needed for a band 7.

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

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