Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 sir or madam

I am writing this email to you beacuse the clothing i bought from your company has a damage in the back side of the t-shirt. The t-shirt i brought in 3 days ago, june 23 from your new outlet in kathmandu nepal. The product i brought from your company is one men t-shirt in black color which is medium size for my husband.

The major problem in t-shirt is damage in the back side of the t-shirt. And in the cloth there is some part of side has a discolor. Cloth is little bit small for my husband. I want to replacement urgently beacuse, we have to go for my sister weeding next week.

In the conclusion, please replacement my cloth as much as fast you can do because our flight is sunday which is two days latter. I hope you will understant my problem. Thank you.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you identify the purchase as a black, medium-sized men’s T-shirt bought in Kathmandu, describe damage and discoloration, and explain that you need a replacement before travelling for a wedding. These details make the purpose clear. However, some points are less fully developed: the purchase date and location are not presented clearly, and the urgency is confusing because you mention both a flight on Sunday and a wedding next week without explaining the timing. You also do not specify what action the company should take beyond replacing the item quickly. State the order date and any order number clearly, then request a replacement by a specific date or ask about an expedited option.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable sequence: purchase details, problems with the shirt, and the reason for urgency. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages. However, progression is sometimes weakened by abrupt or mechanical links, such as beginning a sentence with “And” and using “In the conclusion” in a letter. The final paragraph repeats the request rather than adding a clear next step, while the relationship between the wedding next week and the Sunday flight is not easy to follow. Use a simple opening paragraph for the order, a second for the defects, and a final paragraph that explains the deadline and requested action. Linking phrases such as “In addition” and “As we are travelling…” would make the connections clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the main issue, including “damage,” “discolor,” “replacement,” and “flight.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or spellings make the letter less natural, including “brought” for a purchase, “cloth” for a garment, “weeding,” and “understant.” Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “a damage in the back side” and “some part of side has a discolor.” Choose standard clothing and complaint vocabulary, and check spelling carefully. For example, describe a “tear at the back of the T-shirt” and “discolouration on the side,” then use “replace the item” or “send a replacement” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your message is understandable, and you attempt both simple and longer sentence forms. Some grammatical errors, however, affect clarity and naturalness. For example, “The t-shirt i brought in 3 days ago, june 23” is a sentence fragment and does not clearly express the purchase date; “The major problem in t-shirt is damage” is missing articles and a complete grammatical structure. There are also errors in tense and sentence construction in “please replacement my cloth” and “as much as fast you can do.” Use complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles and verb forms: “I bought the T-shirt on June 23” and “Please replace it as soon as possible.” Vary sentence patterns while keeping each request direct.

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