Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this meets you well. I am Miss Mercy; a regular online customer of your firm and I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with a particular order.

On the 6th of this month, I purchased quite a few numbers of clothing items from your social space with order number AZ24435F. Inclusive in the purchase was a red set of lingerie and a red padded flowing ZARA evening gown of UK size 38, with a slit in the front up to the knee level.

I have actually looked forward to receiving these items, but unfortunately, I was disappointed to receive them in rose pink and in UK size of 36 as against the ordered size with a stiff zipper.

I would appreciate an immediate replacement as the red-carpet dinner event which prompted this specific order is a few days away, and I do not have any other option of wear for this event.

I look forward to a favorable response and prompt replacement.

Yours faithfully,

Anagah Mercy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, appropriately formal purpose. It gives useful purchase details, including the date, order number, garment descriptions and requested size, then explains that the items arrived in the wrong colour and size and had a stiff zipper. The urgency is also clearly linked to the red-carpet dinner taking place in a few days, which supports the request for immediate replacement. These specific details make the complaint convincing and well supported. To make the response more complete and precise, clarify whether both garments were incorrect and state explicitly what replacement you expect—for example, the correct red items in size 38, without the zipper problem. The request is clear, though this extra precision would strengthen it further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear sequence: the opening establishes the purpose, the next paragraph identifies the order, the following paragraph describes the problem, and the final body paragraph explains the urgency and requests action. This progression makes the letter easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “but unfortunately” and “as” help connect the complaint to its consequences. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. Some connections could be more natural and precise: “Inclusive in the purchase” is an awkward way to introduce the items, while “as against the ordered size” makes the contrast less smooth. A more direct transition, such as “However, the items arrived…,” would improve flow while preserving the effective overall organisation.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The response uses a suitable range of vocabulary for a customer complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “particular order,” “immediate replacement,” and “prompt replacement.” Specific clothing descriptions also help communicate the issue clearly. There is some awareness of formal register, although a few expressions are unnatural or imprecise: “social space” does not clearly identify the company’s website, “quite a few numbers of clothing items” is cumbersome, and “stiff zipper” could be described more precisely as a faulty or difficult-to-use zipper. “I hope this meets you well” is also an unsuitable conventional opening. Replacing these phrases with more natural collocations would make the vocabulary more fluent and precise, while retaining the useful range already shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, and several sentences are controlled effectively, such as the explanation that the event “is a few days away.” The main ideas remain clear throughout. However, some grammatical constructions are awkward or incomplete. “I am Miss Mercy; a regular online customer” incorrectly separates the noun phrase with a semicolon; use a comma and a complete clause instead. “In UK size of 36” needs a more accurate article and preposition pattern, such as “in UK size 36,” and “as against the ordered size” is not a well-formed comparison. The opening “I hope this meets you well” also has an incorrect verb construction. Revising these patterns would improve accuracy while maintaining the range of sentence structures.

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