Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-27

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 ,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to complain about a jacket which I ordered last week. I am not satisfied with my purchase. The brand name is Style Hub and size is regular. The jacket color is blue , I have bought online this jacket because one of my close friend recommend me, I was so excited when I bought this but when I recived it was totally diffrent.

Initially, the packing was opened already. I bought the blue jacket when I opened the parcel ,It was green. The size was large as well which is too dispointed for me .Even the fabric was too poor. I paid around $500 for this.

Secondly, I have important event to go so I have to exchange it urgently because i do not have a time to get another jacket . I live in small town , I have less option that the main reason why I odered my jacket online.

I hope you understand my concern . I really appericate your time and undersatnding. I hope you will reach me as soon as possible .

Kind regards,

Gagandeep.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You gave details of the purchase by stating the brand name ('Style Hub'), size ('regular'), color ('blue'), and price ('$500'). You described the problem clearly by explaining that the parcel arrived already opened, the jacket was green instead of blue, the size was large, and the fabric quality was poor. Finally, you explained why you need a replacement urgently, mentioning that you have an important event to attend and live in a small town with limited shopping options. Although the letter starts with 'Dear Sir ,' instead of the requested 'Dear Sir or Madam,', all content requirements are addressed satisfactorily, earning a solid band score for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter is organised into four paragraphs that generally follow a logical progression from introduction and complaint details to urgency and closing remarks. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, sentences in the first paragraph are run together with comma splices, such as 'The jacket color is blue , I have bought online this jacket because one of my close friend recommend me'. Furthermore, referencing and transitional markers between sentences could be smoother to enhance the overall flow. Despite these minor cohesive flaws, the letter remains coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to online shopping and clothing, such as 'purchase', 'brand name', 'fabric', and 'parcel'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'recived' instead of received, 'diffrent' instead of different, 'dispointed' instead of disappointed, and 'odered' instead of ordered. You also attempt some less common vocabulary, but inaccurate collocations and spelling mistakes prevent the vocabulary score from reaching a higher band. To improve, pay closer attention to spelling and ensure that words are used in their correct grammatical forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I am writing this letter to complain about a jacket which I ordered last week.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. These include subject-verb agreement errors ('size is regular', 'one of my close friend recommend me'), incorrect capitalization and spacing around commas ('blue , I have bought'), and tense inconsistencies. While these errors do not severely impede communication because your meaning remains clear, their frequency prevents you from achieving a higher band score. Working on punctuation rules and proofreading for basic grammatical slips will help raise this score.

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

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