Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-09
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 5.0)
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing this letter regarding a purchase that I made. Recently, I made a purchase of some clothing from your company's online website.
I bought two pair of jeans and a shirt. When I show in your website, I found it very colourful and nice design, but when it delivered to my home, I found that colour was different, and I wanted to wear these clothes in my cousin marriage.
Furthermore, I need a replacement urgently
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, significantly impacting the task achievement. While you have attempted to address the three bullet points—giving details of the purchase, describing the problem, and explaining the urgency—the development is extremely limited. The explanation for the urgency is barely mentioned, and the details regarding the purchase and the problem are underdeveloped. To improve, you must expand on each point with more specific information, such as order numbers, dates, and a more detailed description of the discrepancy between the website images and the actual items received.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The letter is very short, which makes it difficult to assess the use of cohesive devices. There is a basic attempt at paragraphing, but the lack of content prevents a logical flow or progression of ideas. You have used a few basic connectors like 'Furthermore', but the overall structure is fragmented. To improve, you should aim to link your sentences more effectively using a wider range of cohesive devices and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, developed focus.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'made a purchase' and 'very colourful and nice design' are simplistic and do not demonstrate the range required for a higher band. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'when I show in your website' (should be 'when I looked at your website') and 'cousin marriage' (should be 'cousin's wedding'). You need to use more precise and varied vocabulary to describe your shopping experience and the specific issues with the clothing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The grammatical range is limited to simple sentence structures. There are several noticeable errors that affect the clarity of your writing, such as 'two pair of jeans' (should be 'two pairs of jeans') and 'when it delivered' (should be 'when it was delivered'). Additionally, the sentence 'I found that colour was different' lacks the necessary article 'the'. To improve, focus on using a mix of complex sentence structures and ensure subject-verb agreement and correct article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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