Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to complain about the issue with a purchase I made for some cloths at your online store on the 5th of July 2026.

A very close friend introduced the store to me because she had bought items, and was satisfied with what she had received. I have a church program coming up so I decided to patronize the store since it was recommended. I bought two pairs of shoe, specifically heels and a white blouse.

When I got the items the next day, I was very surprised with how they were packaged but the main issue is that the buckles of the two shoes were missing. Also, the blouse was torn at the side or it could be that the manufacturers forgot to sew the two sides together.

Although I am dissapointed with the service provided, I would like to request for a replacement urgently. This is because the program I need it for will occur on Sunday, 2 days from now. currently, I do not have any other options so I would appreciate it if the delievery can be fast-tracked.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Oyinloluwa Akinsipe

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers all three bullet points of the prompt very well. You successfully give details of the purchase (mentioning the store, the date of 5th of July 2026, and the items bought such as two pairs of shoes and a white blouse), describe the problem clearly (missing buckles on the shoes and a torn blouse seam), and explain why a replacement is needed urgently due to an upcoming church program in two days. Your purpose in writing is entirely clear from beginning to end, maintaining an appropriate tone and format for a formal complaint letter. Therefore, this fulfills the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your letter has a clear logical progression and organization throughout. It opens with the purpose of the email, moves smoothly into background context and specific problems, outlines the urgency, and concludes professionally. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas, and basic cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Also', and 'This is because' are used correctly to connect your thoughts. While some referencing could be slightly more refined, the overall structure ensures easy reading and clear message delivery, which places this firmly at Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate your message clearly and with some precision, using terms like 'patronize', 'packaged', 'replacement', and 'fast-tracked'. However, there are a few lexical errors and typos, such as 'cloths' instead of 'clothes', 'two pairs of shoe' instead of 'shoes', and 'dissapointed' with a spelling mistake. Additionally, phrases like 'come up' are a bit informal. Because the vocabulary is adequate for the task but contains occasional spelling and word-choice errors that prevent a higher band, it fits the Band 6.0 criteria well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, successfully using subordinate clauses like 'Although I am dissapointed with the service provided...' and '...because the program I need it for will occur on Sunday...'. There are some grammatical and punctuation errors present, such as capitalization issues ('currently' starting a sentence without a capital letter) and minor punctuation slips. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily understand your message. This corresponds to a solid Band 6.5.

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