Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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 5.0)

Dear sir,

i think you have seen my email message received. i bought the 4 t-shirts, 3 jeans, 2 hoodies from your site 'TOOTHBIY' . The hoodies has large in size and colour not match with image which is shown on site. The jeans are too short in size. The t-shirts is okk and good in quality. i request to you for replacement the item because I'm going delhi tomorrow and very urgent for me. kindly request to replace the clothes and provide proper size and colour

Thank you

your faithfully

ABC

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You include the main relevant details: you bought several items from the company’s website, the hoodies do not match the pictured colour and are the wrong size, and the jeans are too short. You also request replacements and explain that you are travelling to Delhi tomorrow, which conveys urgency. However, the task is only partially addressed because the purchase details are brief, the exact sizes or order information are missing, and the reason you need the clothes for the trip is not explained. The response is also substantially below the required 150 words, so there is little room to develop the complaint and request. Add a clear account of the order and specify what replacement items you need.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The message follows a broadly sensible order: it identifies the purchase, describes problems with the items, and then asks for replacements. This gives the reader the basic purpose of the letter. However, the response is presented as one compressed block, with little separation between the different points, and the ideas do not develop into a clear progression. The opening reference to an email is unclear, and the request and urgency are joined together without explanation. Use separate paragraphs for the order details, the problems, and the requested action. Linking phrases such as “However,” “As I am travelling tomorrow,” and “Therefore” would make the relationships between ideas clearer and less abrupt.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the central complaint, including “replacement,” “size,” “colour,” and “quality.” The reader can identify which products are problematic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are noticeably inaccurate, sometimes making the message harder to interpret. For example, “hoodies has large in size” and “colour not match with image” do not express the problem naturally, while “provide proper size and colour” is vague about what you want. Use precise phrases such as “the hoodies are too large” and “the colour differs from the website photograph.” More specific vocabulary for the order and requested remedy would make the letter clearer and more appropriate for a formal complaint.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response relies mainly on short, simple statements, with little variety in sentence structure. Several frequent errors affect accuracy, including subject–verb agreement in “The hoodies has” and “The t-shirts is,” missing articles in “from your site,” and incomplete sentence patterns such as “colour not match with image.” The request “i request to you for replacement the item” also shows problems with verb patterns and sentence construction. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the general complaint, but they make the letter difficult to read smoothly. Practise forming complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement, articles, and punctuation. For example: “The hoodies are too large, and their colour does not match the website image.”

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

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