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 you are doing well. I am writing this letter because i have an issue with the dress i purchased recently from your brand online. I was very delighted upon the arrival of myu dress as i was planning to wear it for convocation ceremony which is on 18th of September.

Unfortunately, when i opened the package and tried it on i realised the size of the dress is medium instead of a large one. Not only it does made me disappoined but i do not have any other dress to wear on my special day. I already bought the matching jewellery and footwear with this dress.

I kindly request you to replace the size of my dress as soon as possible because i have only one week left before my graduationm ceremony. I will really appreciate if you can take a quick action in this matter.

Kind regards

Komal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You successfully cover all three bullet points required by the task instructions. You give clear details of the purchase by mentioning the dress purchased online recently, describe the problem by pointing out that the size received was medium instead of large, and explain why you need an urgent replacement due to the upcoming convocation ceremony on the 18th of September. Your tone is appropriately formal for a complaint letter, and your purpose is clear throughout the response. All parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, and ideas are extended with relevant supporting details, such as mentioning the matching jewellery and footwear you have already bought.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Your letter has a clear logical organisation and progression. You begin with a standard greeting, state your purpose, explain the issue, and conclude with a call to action. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate your introduction, the specific problem, and your concluding request. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Unfortunately' and 'because', though referencing is occasionally slightly repetitive ('this dress... the dress'). Overall, your ideas flow well and are easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, including phrases like 'delighted upon the arrival', 'convocation ceremony', and 'matching jewellery'. However, there are some noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, such as 'myu' instead of 'my', 'disappoined' instead of 'disappointed', and 'graduationm' instead of 'graduation'. There are also minor lexical awkwardness issues, such as 'replace the size of my dress' rather than 'replace the dress with the correct size'. These errors do not impede communication but prevent you from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You display a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, using dependent clauses effectively (e.g., 'because i have an issue with the dress i purchased recently' and 'when i opened the package and tried it on'). However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as lower-case 'i', missing articles ('is medium instead of a large one'), and a structural error in 'Not only it does made me disappoined'. Despite these frequent minor errors, your meaning remains clear throughout the letter.

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

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