Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-29

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 Madam,

I am writing this letter to complaint about the prouct which i recently purchased from your website which is not satisfying me as my previous experieces.

I have been shopping from your website since while and before the week i bought a crochet top and a skirt from the latest collection. It delivered yesterday and i unboxed with so many expectations but after opening i was so disappointed. Although i did not get one product as my expectations, i still hoping another one is good. After seeing the other, i got disappointment again. The main problem is that the threads of the clothes are very loose and uneven. I tried by wearing it , but the finishing of hand work is not pop out properly.

I bought this for my trip which is started from next week. So, my humble request to you that replace my product within 5 days.

I hope you will get my point and try to co operate as much as you can.

Yours sincerely,

Mahek Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully covered all parts of the letter prompt. You gave details of the purchase by mentioning the crochet top and skirt and when they were delivered. You clearly described the problem, noting that the threads are loose and uneven and the hand work finishing is poor. Finally, you explained why you need a replacement urgently by stating that you are going on a trip next week and requested it within five days. The tone is appropriate for a complaint letter, and your purpose is clear from the beginning to the end. However, the development of some ideas is slightly constrained by vocabulary limitations, placing this response solidly in Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your letter has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure from the salutation to the closing. You made an attempt to use paragraphing to separate the introduction, the details of the problem, the urgency, and the closing request. However, some cohesive devices are faulty or unnatural, such as 'since while and before the week' or 'after opening i was so disappointed. Although i did not get one product as my expectations, i still hoping another one is good.' Referencing and linking between sentences can be disjointed at times. Paragraphing is present, but the logical progression within paragraphs sometimes feels mechanical, which aligns with Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your lexical range is adequate for the task, but there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation. For instance, you wrote 'complaint' instead of 'complain', 'prouct' instead of 'product', and 'since while' instead of 'for a while'. Phrases like 'not satisfying me as my previous experieces' and 'threads of the clothes are very loose' convey your meaning, but lack precision and natural phrasing. While you attempted some less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in spelling and word formation prevent you from reaching a higher band. These errors do not completely impede communication, supporting a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You demonstrated a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as conditional or dependent clauses ('Although i did not get one product as my expectations, i still hoping another one is good'). However, your writing contains frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and auxiliary verbs, such as 'It delivered yesterday' (missing the passive voice 'It was delivered'), 'my trip which is started from next week' (incorrect tense), and missing capitalization for the pronoun 'I'. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter, which fits the Band 5.5 descriptors well.

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

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