Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-25
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 5.5)
Dear sir,
I am writing about the dissatisfaction of clothes which i bought while sitting at home from amazon company. I puchased clothes due to my brother marriage that is why i had no time to go outside for purchasing clothes so i decided to buy clothes online. I live in apartment which is situated around the surrey city centre station and i booked my order Gagandeep named. Actually, i bought pink dress on the websites however, when i recieved my parcel that time i got blue dress so that time i was feel disappointed because wedding date just after five days. I have no another dress which i wear on the wedding day. therfore, i want to replace my dress as soon as so i wear it on my brother wedding.
I hope you change my dress as soon so i wear it. So i will wait for your further parcel.
Yours faithfully,
Gagan sidhu
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student successfully covers all three bullet points required in the task prompt. Details of the purchase are provided, including the platform used (Amazon) and the specific item bought. The problem is clearly described, noting that a blue dress was received instead of the pink one ordered. Furthermore, the reason for needing an urgent replacement is explained, specifically the upcoming wedding of the student's brother in five days. While the development is straightforward and features some repetition, all required communicative functions are present. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, aligning well with the overall requirements of a General Training Task 1 response. Therefore, it meets the descriptors for a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level of task fulfillment.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement, allowing the reader to follow the sequence of events from purchase to the error and the urgent need for a replacement. However, paragraphing is poorly managed, as the bulk of the letter is crammed into a single, dense block of text, with only a short concluding line separated. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'so that time' and 'as soon'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, for example in sentences like 'I booked my order Gagandeep named'. Although the overall message is conveyed, the lack of effective paragraphing and mechanical transitions limits the score for this criterion to Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary to complete the task, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'purchased', 'disappointed', and 'replacement'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('recieved', 'puchased', 'therfore'), word choice inaccuracies ('dissatisfaction of clothes', 'buying clothes online' instead of ordering), and awkward collocations. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success. While communication is not severely hindered because the context remains clear, the lexical errors and basic control of vocabulary place this response firmly in the Band 5.0 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conjunctions like 'because' and 'that is why'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in articles, prepositions, tense consistency, and sentence structure (e.g., 'clothes which i bought while sitting at home', 'wedding date just after five days', 'replace my dress as soon so i wear it'). Punctuation and capitalization are also inconsistent, particularly with the lowercase 'i'. These errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and demonstrate limited control over complex structures, reflecting a Band 5.0 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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