Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

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 5.5)

Dear Madam,

I hope you are doing well, Iam writing this letter to address you about my last purchase from your outlet. I purchased it from your online shopping aap from your official website. I replaced an order on i.e,25/9/26 on friday evening around 5:00pm.

It was a bodycon dress in size xxl as follows the orange vibrant colour. And was delivered to me on 5/10/26 on Tuesday.

The dress is quit vibrant in my opinion and it's not suitable for me as Iam found of wearing a warm colours. And the other thing is it's not true to its size as I ordered xxl and I received in L size in my knowledge.

I would love to have it in a warm peach colour and I have to wear it in my besties birthday which is on next monday. I just want to request you to make a needful for me and make a replacement as quick as possible.

Thank you

Nabeela.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the three requested points: you identify the dress and order and delivery dates, explain that the colour and size are unsuitable, and request a replacement because you need it for your best friend’s birthday next Monday. The purpose is clear and the tone is generally polite. However, some details are unclear or not fully developed. For example, “I replaced an order” does not clearly say whether you placed the order or are requesting a replacement, and “in my knowledge” makes the size problem difficult to interpret. You also ask for a peach colour without clearly stating whether you want the correct size as well. State the requested replacement precisely and explain the urgency with a clear deadline.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: purchase details come first, followed by the problems and then the replacement request. This makes the main purpose understandable, and phrases such as “The other thing is” help signal an additional issue. However, the opening sentence joins two complete ideas with only a comma, and the purchase details are crowded together, making the date and order information harder to follow. The shift from the colour complaint to “I have to wear it” could also be made more explicit. Use separate paragraphs for the purchase, the problems, and the requested urgent solution, and connect each point with clear, natural transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant clothing and customer-service vocabulary, including “bodycon dress,” “size XXL,” “delivered,” “replacement,” and “vibrant colour.” These choices make the situation recognisable. However, several word choices or spellings are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “outlet” for an online seller, “aap,” “replaced an order,” and “make a needful.” “Warm colours” is also unclear in this context, particularly when you request “warm peach.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning less precise, although the reader can generally understand the complaint. Choose standard expressions for placing an order and requesting an exchange, and describe the colour and size consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The letter includes simple statements and attempts to combine ideas, for example, “The dress is … and it’s not suitable for me,” so there is some variety in sentence structure. The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. “I hope you are doing well, Iam writing” joins two sentences with a comma, while “as I ordered XXL and I received in L size” has an incomplete construction. There are also problems with verb forms and sentence patterns in “I am found of wearing” and “which is on next Monday.” Use full stops or conjunctions to separate clauses, and check tense, articles, and complete verb phrases. More consistently accurate sentences would make the request easier to follow.

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