Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-15

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 or Madam,

I am writing to request the solution of an issue of the product that I just bought from your online site, which led to my dissatisfaction.

I bought a t-shirt last monday which was delivered yesterday. My order number is #[redacted phone]. I was very happy by the time I ordered it because it is the t-shirt that I like over the everything, but when I opened the packaging and tried it on then my excitement vanished when I find a cut on t-shirt just below the shoulder. I ordered it to wear it on an event of Diwali, which is going to be on the next tuesday.

In addition, I would like to request you to provide me a replacement of the t-shirt as soon as possible because I have to wear it on an event. I would be thankful to you for your this assistance.

I am looking forward to receiving a positive response. Thank you so much.

Yours faithfully,

Sukhbir.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all bullet points of the task effectively. The purchase details are provided with the order number and delivery timeline, the problem is clearly described as a cut on the t-shirt just below the shoulder, and the reason for the urgent replacement is explained by mentioning the upcoming Diwali event next Tuesday. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The requirements of the task are fully satisfied, showing clear development of ideas. Therefore, this warrants a band 7.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression. It begins with an appropriate formal salutation, states the purpose clearly in the first paragraph, elaborates on the issue in the body, and concludes with polite closing remarks and sign-off. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'which', and referencing pronouns are used reasonably well, although some transitional phrasing feels slightly repetitive or colloquial (e.g., 'over the everything'). Paragraphing is handled properly, separating the introduction, the main body points, and the conclusion. Overall, the organization is coherent and logical, fitting the band 6.5 descriptor well, rounded to 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a formal complaint letter, using terms such as 'dissatisfaction', 'packaging', and 'replacement'. However, there are some imprecise collocations and unnatural phrasings, such as 'request the solution of an issue', 'over the everything', and 'on an event of Diwali' instead of 'for the Diwali festival'. While these lexical errors do not impede communication, they reflect a limited flexibility and occasional word-choice inaccuracy. These characteristics align closely with a band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses ('which was delivered yesterday') and causal links ('because I have to wear it'). There are, however, several grammatical inaccuracies and awkward structures, such as 'when I find a cut' (tense inconsistency), 'provide me a replacement' (missing preposition), and 'for your this assistance' (unnatural determiner order). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to fully grasp the meaning. This performance is characteristic of a band 6.0.

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

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