Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-28

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 am writing this letter to inform you that I would like to replace a dress that I bought from your website. The order number assigned to my purchase is b2345.

I purchased a blue denim long dress in a small size. I placed an order on sept 19, 2026 and received it on Sept 26, 2026. As dress is on final sale, website informed me that I cannot return it after purchase.

I want to exchange it as I received it in wrong size. Moreover, it is torn on the left side which looks like a used dress. Apart from this, their is also a stain on the dress which makes it look more disguised.

I bought it for my friend's themed birthday party which is on oct 4, 2026. The reason for the urgent replacement is that all of my friends are wearing a particular denim dress similar to the dress I purchased from your website.

I kindly request you to look into this matter and replace my dress as soon as possible. I am looking forward for a positive response.

Yours faithfully,,

Daljeet kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You successfully covered all parts of the task requirements. You provided clear details of the purchase, including the order number 'b2345', the item description, and the exact purchase and delivery dates. You clearly described the problems with the item, noting that it was the wrong size, torn on the left side, and stained. Furthermore, you effectively explained the reason for needing an urgent replacement by mentioning your friend's themed birthday party on October 4, 2026. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, and all bullet points are fully addressed, warranting a solid band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your letter has a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You made good use of paragraphing to separate your introduction, purchase details, description of problems, and the urgent request for a replacement. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Apart from this', and 'The reason for the urgent replacement' are used effectively to guide the reader through your arguments, though occasional referencing could be slightly smoother. Overall, the flow is coherent and easy to follow, meeting the criteria for a band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrated a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task with some flexibility and precision, using phrases like 'final sale', 'themed birthday party', and 'urgent replacement'. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies, such as 'disguised' instead of 'disgusting' or 'disfigured', and 'their' instead of 'there'. Despite these occasional errors, your vocabulary is adequate to convey your message clearly without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You successfully used a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'I am writing this letter to inform you that I would like to replace a dress...' and 'The reason for the urgent replacement is that all of my friends are wearing a particular denim dress...'. There are some grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('As dress is on final sale', 'received it in wrong size'), and a minor punctuation issue at the end ('Yours faithfully,,'). However, these errors rarely impede communication and demonstrate a reasonable command of grammar.

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