Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-24

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/Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction which i faced while purchase online clothes from your company, but it is not in good condition.

I have purchased piece of clothes online in last week and it was a westren gown. It has pink colour that I saw on your website and ordered immidiately becuase it was liked by me. It is in medium size and looks very prety.

However, I recieved this order yesterday and when I opened it, I was very surprised to see that dress. Actually it was completely different form that which I have ordered like its size and design not only this but also it is torn from one corner.

Now I want to replace it as soon as possible becuase i want to wear this dress in my cousin's wedding that is in next week. I request you to replace this immidiately or if it takes time please returen my funds.

I hope you will take this seriously and try to solve this issue.

Yours faithfully,

Gurpreet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response covers all three bullet points from the prompt: it gives details of the purchase, describes the problem, and explains why a replacement is needed urgently. The details of the purchase are provided in the second paragraph, mentioning a western gown in pink and medium size bought last week. The problem is described as receiving a completely different dress in terms of size and design, which is also torn from one corner. The urgency is explained by mentioning a cousin's wedding next week. While the ideas are relevant and all parts of the task are addressed, some points are slightly repetitive or lack deeper development, placing this comfortably at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a clear logical organization with appropriate paragraphing for a formal correspondence, beginning with a standard salutation and ending with a sign-off. Cohesive devices are used throughout the text, such as 'However', 'Actually', and 'Now', although some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as 'not only this but also'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the introduction, purchase details, problem description, urgency, and conclusion. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional awkward phrasing affects the overall flow. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'dissatisfaction', 'dissatisfaction', 'immidiately', and 'replacement'. However, there are several spelling errors ('immidiately', 'prety', 'recieved', 'form' instead of 'from', 'returen', 'funds' used instead of 'refund'). There are also awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'purchase online clothes' and 'funds' instead of refund. These lexical inaccuracies and spelling mistakes prevent the score from reaching a higher band, but communication is not impeded, which justifies a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction which i faced...' and 'I request you to replace this immidiately or if it takes time please returen my funds.' However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'which i faced while purchase online', 'piece of clothes', and lower-case 'i'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor errors in grammar and word forms detract from accuracy. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout, making this a solid Band 5.5 performance.

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

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