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 am writing this letter to express my disappointment from your online website. Recently I purchase few clothes from your online store and i really wonder about the product i received. It is red gown with black combination.

When i received it was totally ripped and bigger of size. I am so dissappointed because i did not ordered this size even not ripped. The dress was choose, on that time i fullfillment all the requirement which asked by online.

I order this for my sister's birthday and it was a surprise from my side to my sister.Now, I feel that i need to replace with the new one because i can not give to my beloved sister. I request to you please exchange this dress so i can make my sister day with the new one. I hope you will cooperate with this matter.

I am looking forwared your response.

Best Regards,

Heena

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task requirements. The writer gives details of the purchase by mentioning buying clothes online and specifying a red gown with a black combination. The problem is clearly described, noting that the item arrived ripped and was the wrong size. Additionally, the explanation for why a replacement is urgently needed is covered, as the dress was meant as a surprise for a sister's upcoming birthday. However, while all bullet points are covered, some ideas show a tendency toward under-development, such as the brief description of the item and the hurried explanation of the birthday event. To move towards a higher band, the writer would need to fully develop every part of the prompt with greater elaboration and extended supporting details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical letter format, beginning with a salutation and moving through the purchase details, the issue, the urgent need for a replacement, and a closing. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct points, such as placing the description of the defect and size issue in its own paragraph. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty, with abrupt transitions between ideas, such as moving from the sizing problem directly to the statement about the birthday. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen with pronouns like 'it' and 'this'. To achieve a higher level of coherence and cohesion, the writer should employ a wider range of cohesive devices more smoothly and ensure the logical progression between sentences is seamless and clearly signposted.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating a minimally sufficient range to communicate the main points. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary and task-specific terms, such as 'online store', 'dissappointed', and 'replacement', but struggles with accurate word choice, word form, and collocation. There are noticeable errors throughout the text, including 'purchase' instead of the past tense 'purchased', 'bigger of size' instead of 'too big' or 'incorrect size', and 'the dress was choose' instead of 'chosen'. Spelling errors like 'dissappointed' and grammatical word-form mistakes ('fullfillment' instead of 'fulfilled') are also present. These lexical inaccuracies and limitations place the response firmly in the mid-range for vocabulary, as they require the reader to occasionally interpret the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the profile for this band level. Examples include missing articles ('It is red gown'), incorrect prepositions ('dissappointed from your online website'), and tense inconsistencies ('Recently I purchase few clothes'). Additionally, sentence structures are often awkward or incomplete, such as 'I request to you please exchange this dress'. Punctuation and capitalization errors also occur, such as lowercase 'i' used as a pronoun in several places. To improve, the writer needs to increase the variety of error-free complex sentences and exercise greater control over basic grammatical rules, verb tenses, and article usage.

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

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