Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-12

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 or Madam,

I bought a jacket from your online site 3 days ago, It took 2 days to delivered and when I tried it on to check the size and everything I have found a issuse with the jacket.

I am really unsatisfied to tell you about the jacket that I bought from your online store few days before and when I checked that, one of it's pocket tore up. Moreover, the color is not the same either. I bought so many merchandise from your online shooping. Unfrotunately, this time your service really disappointed me. I bought it for my brother's wedding which will be in 2 days, That's why I have ordered it earlier. But, got the defected piece.

I want you to replace it as soon as possible, I purchased it for the wedding dress code and I don't have the time to order another one. So, return it and give me another jacket. I would be graetful to you. If you need any thing from my side feel free to ask.

Yours sincerely

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requirements: you identify the purchase as a jacket ordered online three days ago, explain that a pocket is torn and the colour differs from what you expected, and request a replacement because your brother’s wedding is in two days. The urgency is especially clear in “I don’t have the time to order another one.” The purpose and desired outcome are therefore easy to understand, and the details are relevant. To make the response more fully developed, specify the jacket’s order number or describe the colour discrepancy more precisely, and state clearly whether you expect the company to arrange collection or provide a replacement before the wedding. The request is clear, though some details remain general.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a sensible overall sequence: purchase and discovery of the fault, the reason for urgency, and the requested remedy. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Unfortunately,” and “That’s why” make relationships between ideas clear. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall arrangement and shows some flexibility in linking. However, the second paragraph repeats that you bought the jacket recently and that you are dissatisfied, while the final paragraph shifts abruptly from asking for replacement to “So, return it,” which makes the action less clear. Reduce repetition and use a more precise transition into a single, direct request to improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the complaint and its context, including “pocket,” “wedding,” “replace,” and “defected piece.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-choice, or collocation errors reduce naturalness: “issuse,” “shooping,” “Unfrotunately,” and “graetful” are misspelled, while “one of it’s pocket tore up” and “defected piece” are not natural expressions. “Merchandise” is also vague in this context. These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main message, but they make the letter less polished. Check spelling carefully and learn common complaint phrases such as “the pocket is torn” and “the item is defective.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more extended sentence forms, for example the sentence explaining that the jacket was bought for a wedding and the reason it is needed urgently. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to affect fluency. Examples include “It took 2 days to delivered,” “when I tried it on … I have found,” and “one of it’s pocket tore up”; these show problems with verb forms, tense consistency, and sentence construction. Capitalisation and punctuation also need attention, particularly the comma splice in the opening and the capital letter after the comma in “2 days, That’s why.” Practise accurate past-tense reporting and break long sentences into shorter, correctly punctuated units.

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

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