Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-01

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express dissatisfaction with the clothes that I purchased from your website.

Last week, I placed an order for a formal outfit that includes a blazer, a pant and a shirt. Yesterday, I received the package and I was totally dissapointed with it. First of all, the colour does not match with the one I selected online. I added black colour for the blazer and pant, pairing it with a white shirt. Whereas, I received a navy blue colour of it. Secondly, I selected the small size; however, I have received medium.

I request you to send a replacement as soon as possible because I am attending the convocation ceremony at my college next week. The college has mentioned particularly to dress up in a formal attire coloured in black or white only.

I hope to hear soon from you.

Yours faithfully,

Ishika

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

Your response covers all the required bullet points of the task well. You successfully give details of the purchase by mentioning that you ordered a formal outfit including a blazer, a pant, and a shirt last week. You clearly describe the problem regarding both the incorrect colour, noting you received navy blue instead of black, and the wrong size, as you received medium instead of small. Furthermore, you explain the urgency of needing a replacement by stating that you are attending a college convocation ceremony next week where formal attire must strictly be black or white. Your ideas are well developed and cover all aspects required for the task with only rare minor omissions, demonstrating a thorough handling of the communicative purpose.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

Your letter has a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You make appropriate use of paragraphing to separate your opening, the description of the problem, the explanation of urgency, and your closing remarks. You also use cohesive devices and transition signals fairly flexibly, such as "First of all", "Secondly", and "because", which help guide the reader smoothly through your arguments. While referencing and paragraphing are managed sufficiently and appropriately, slightly more varied referencing or advanced cohesive links would lift your writing further towards the highest band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and functional phrases related to online shopping complaints, such as "express dissatisfaction", "formal outfit", and "convocation ceremony". However, there are a few spelling and word-choice errors that place your vocabulary in the mid-range level. For instance, "dissapointed" contains a spelling error, and "a pant" is an unnatural collocation in this context, as trousers or pants are typically referred to in the plural form "pants". Similarly, phrasing like "added black colour for the blazer and pant" could be expressed more naturally. These errors do not impede communication, but addressing them will help improve your precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You demonstrate good control of grammar and punctuation with a variety of sentence structures. You successfully combine simple sentences with more complex forms, such as using subordinate clauses introduced by "because" and "that". There are frequent error-free sentences throughout your text, including well-structured requests and explanations. While a few minor awkward patterns persist, such as "does not match with the one" (where 'with' is unnecessary) and "navy blue colour of it", your overall grammar is handled well and communication is never hindered. Maintaining this control while incorporating a wider variety of advanced grammatical structures will help you progress further.

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