Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-14

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 this letter to express my disappointment with my recent purchase. The order was a traditional dress. I have attached the receipt for your reference.

I bought this dress online yesterday. It is black heavy traditional dress and the size was M. The only issue I found was the size. As per the size chart on the website I choose size M unfortunately that is too loose for me and even it is not corrcet as per the chart mentioned.

I would like you to deleiver the correct size and requesting to display the correct size in proper measurements.I need the dress urgently because I am wearing it in my brothers wedding this sunday.

Yours Faithfully,

Anjali

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers all three bullet points from the prompt: details of the purchase are provided (the traditional dress, size M, bought online yesterday), the problem is described (the size is too loose and does not match the website's size chart), and the reason for urgency is explained (wearing it to a brother's wedding this Sunday). The tone is appropriately formal for a business letter. However, the response falls short of the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 123 words. Consequently, the ideas are slightly under-developed due to this brevity, which restricts the task achievement score. To reach a higher band, the student must expand on their points and ensure they meet the 150-word minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a logical structure appropriate for formal correspondence, beginning with a standard salutation ('Dear Sir or Madam,'), followed by the purpose of the letter, the specific problem, the requested action with urgency, and a proper sign-off ('Yours Faithfully, Anjali'). Paragraphing is attempted, though the spacing and indentation are a bit unconventional. Cohesive devices are minimal, and the flow between sentences can feel slightly disjointed, such as transitioning from the receipt mention directly into purchase details. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall mechanical cohesion limits the score to Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to successfully communicate their situation and dissatisfaction. Phrases such as 'traditional dress', 'receipt for your reference', and 'size chart' are functional and clear. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'black heavy traditional dress' (missing an article and incorrect word order) and 'deleiver' (spelling error). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and relies heavily on basic descriptors. Attempts at less common vocabulary are minimal, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'As per the size chart on the website I choose size M unfortunately that is too loose for me...'. However, there are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including missing commas, run-on sentences, tense inconsistency ('choose' instead of 'chose'), and awkward phrasing like 'requesting to display the correct size in proper measurements'. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Improving punctuation and sentence boundary awareness will significantly boost this score.

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

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