Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-13
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 6.5)
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing with regard to my recent purchase from your online clothig store.
Firstly, I want to let you know that I have been shopping online from your company from a long period of time. Recently, I purchased some clothes from your online store that includes a pair of jeans and a shirt.
The order your company delievered is not same as the one I saw on the website. I ordered balloon jeans but received a straight fit instead. Moreover, the shirt has a stain on its back, it is a very obvious stain that looks very bad. In addition, one of the buttons of the shirt is also damaged, there are no spare buttons delievered with it, so I can replace that damaged one.
I want your company to take prompt action and replace these articles with new ones. This is beacuse I ordered this outfit for an upcoming birthday party, which is planned in coming week. Kindly, replace these articles before the next week.
Looking forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Eman
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5
The letter clearly addresses all three requirements: you identify the purchase as jeans and a shirt, explain that the jeans are the wrong fit and the shirt is stained with a damaged button, and request a prompt replacement because of a birthday party next week. The purpose and desired action remain clear throughout, and the details make the complaint credible. To strengthen the response further, give more precise purchase information, such as an order number or purchase date, and specify exactly when the replacement must arrive. The reason for urgency is relevant, though the timing could be expressed more precisely than “before the next week.”
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The information follows a sensible sequence: you introduce the purchase, describe the defects, and then request a replacement and explain the deadline. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, while phrases such as “Moreover” and “In addition” connect the problems clearly. The letter also uses an appropriate opening and closing. Some linking is slightly mechanical, particularly the repeated additive transitions, and the first paragraph includes background about being a long-term customer that does not advance the complaint. A more direct progression, with the purchase details grouped together and the requested remedy stated in a concise final paragraph, would make the organisation feel more polished.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use enough vocabulary to communicate the complaint and its practical details, including “straight fit,” “stain,” “damaged,” and “prompt action.” However, several spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural expressions limit the range and control: “clothig,” “delievered,” and “beacuse” are noticeable, while “articles” is less natural than “items” for clothing. Phrases such as “shopping online from your company from a long period of time” and “the one I saw on the website” could also be expressed more idiomatically and precisely. Proofreading spelling and choosing more natural complaint-letter collocations would improve clarity and make the vocabulary more effective.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex forms, such as the relative clause in “a stain that looks very bad” and the reason clause explaining the birthday party. Meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “clothes … that includes” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “is not same as the one” needs an article. The sentence beginning “Moreover, the shirt has a stain on its back” joins two independent clauses with only a comma; separate them or use a conjunction. “This is because I ordered…” also needs a more accurate construction in context. Check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries during revision.
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