Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-02

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 would like your prompt action in this matter. I bought an online outfit from your company two days back.

It was a cotton red frock with flower net laces. It was mentioned in the website that it is mid size in length and width is about 22 cm. Sleeves was also mentioned full size in length and fitted.

Now, i got my parcel in early morning. I found my dress was not look new. It looked like used and size was also not proper in lenght. Laces was also deattached from different parts of dress.

I require my dress to change as soon as possible. I would have to wear this on my cousin wedding,the day after tommorrow. Now, only one day left for the occassion and i dont have any alternate option to wear on that day.

I would appreciate your effort to resolve this matter, if you would change my dress with new one dress without any defect before the event. Thank you.

Yours Sincerely,

XYZ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by giving details of the purchase, describing the problem, and explaining the need for an urgent replacement. Your position is clear throughout the letter. You have covered all required bullet points, such as mentioning the two-day timeframe since purchase, specifying the item as a red cotton frock with flower net laces, describing the faults like it looking used with detached laces and incorrect length, and explaining that you need a replacement urgently because of your cousin's wedding the day after tomorrow. While the ideas are relevant and extend the task, some details are slightly over-generalized or informally expressed. To achieve an even higher score, you could ensure every point is developed with slightly more formal precision and fully extended narrative cohesion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

There is a coherent overall arrangement to your letter, and the progression of your ideas is generally logical as you move from introducing the purchase to detailing the problems and stating your urgent requirement. Paragraphing is used to separate your points into logical blocks. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or a bit repetitive in sentence openings, and referencing could be smoother. For instance, phrases like 'Now, i got my parcel' and 'Now, only one day left' create a repetitive transitional pattern. To improve further, you should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure transitions between paragraphs feel completely natural rather than abrupt.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully conveying your message despite some limitations. You attempt some less common vocabulary items, such as 'prompt action', 'alternative option', and 'resolve this matter'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and collocation that prevent a higher score. Examples include 'bought an online outfit' instead of 'ordered an outfit online', 'mid size in length' instead of 'medium length', 'laces was also deattached' featuring a word form error ('detached'), and 'new one dress' which is an unnatural collocation. These lexical inaccuracies do not totally impede communication, but they highlight a need for greater precision and natural stylistic control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and subordinate clauses like 'I would appreciate your effort... if you would change my dress'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely impede communication. Examples of grammatical slips include subject-verb agreement errors like 'Sleeves was also mentioned' and 'Laces was also deattached', pronoun and capitalization issues ('i' instead of 'I'), and article usage ('on my cousin wedding' instead of 'at my cousin's wedding', and missing articles before 'early morning'). To reach the next level, you need to produce a higher frequency of error-free sentences, especially regarding verb forms, plurals, and prepositions within grammatical patterns.

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

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