Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-21

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,

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Bhupinder and I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction over the clothes purchased from your online store.

Last week, I placed an order for two blue jeans and a white cotton shirt of Raymond brand. Both of these cost me $500. I was very happy to receive the package yesterday. But when I opened it, I was shocked to see that quality is not what I expected it to be.

Instead of pure cotton shirt, I received some other material. Not only this, it feels like someone has already worn it before also for jeans the color shown online is different from what I have received. I always buy clothes of this brand but my experience this time was really bad.

I request you to replace both these items on an urgent basis as starting of next week I have to travel to another city for a saminar and I do not have time to look for jeans or shirt somewhere else.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Bhupinder.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The candidate has fully satisfied all parts of the task requirements. The letter successfully adopts the appropriate formal tone for a complaint letter starting with 'Dear Sir or Madam,' and addresses the three bullet points clearly. First, details of the purchase are provided, specifying two blue jeans and a white cotton shirt of the Raymond brand costing $500, ordered last week. Second, the problem is described effectively by explaining that the shirt material is incorrect and appears worn, and the jeans color differs from the online display. Third, the need for an urgent replacement is explained by mentioning an upcoming out-of-town business trip for a seminar next week. The ideas are well-developed and present a clear purpose from beginning to end, warranting a solid band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter exhibits a clear logical organization and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, moving smoothly from the introductory statement of purpose, to the purchase details and specific problems, followed by the urgent request for a replacement, and concluding politely. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'Instead of pure cotton shirt,' and 'Not only this, it feels like...' Although referencing and linking could be slightly more sophisticated for higher bands, the progression of ideas is easy to follow and paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, fulfilling the requirements for this level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common vocabulary items such as 'express my dissatisfaction,' 'urgent basis,' and 'online store.' There are some minor lexical and collocation errors, such as 'clothes purchased' instead of 'clothing purchased,' missing articles like 'for jeans the color shown,' and writing 'saminar' instead of 'seminar.' However, these vocabulary and spelling errors do not impede communication, and the tone remains appropriate for a formal complaint letter. The lexical resource is fully sufficient to convey the intended message clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction over the clothes purchased from your online store' and 'I request you to replace both these items on an urgent basis as starting of next week I have to travel...' There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including missing articles ('that quality is not what I expected') and minor prepositional issues, but the majority of sentences are clear. Punctuation is generally sound, and the grammatical errors rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to easily understand the context and the urgency of the complaint.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.