Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-14

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/madam, good morning. I hope you are doing well. I am raising a concern about the clothes I ordered last week not being of good quality.

Next week I have to go to my friend's birthday party, and I urgently need fancy attire for that occasion. I ordered blue jeans and a red shirt on 10th of October. When my parcel arrived i tried the clothes on me I feel that the fabric is not comfortable when I wear that shirt; the fabric is very hard so my body started itching.

I kindly request to change my shirt as soon as possible because i have very few days left to attend that party and its very important occasion for me because all my friends are coming there and i will need to wear those clothes for whole day. If ill not get my atteirs at the end of this week, that can spoil my party.

Thank you

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points: it identifies the order as blue jeans and a red shirt placed on 10 October, explains that the shirt’s fabric causes itching, and makes clear that a replacement is needed before the birthday party next week. The urgency is supported by the limited time remaining and the importance of the occasion, so the purpose is clear throughout. To make the complaint more complete and persuasive, specify what outcome you expect for the jeans, if they are also unsatisfactory, and include useful order details such as a reference number or a request for confirmation. The explanation of the problem and urgency is relevant, though some details about the party are repeated rather than developed further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The information follows a generally sensible order: the opening states the concern, the next paragraph gives the purchase and describes the defect, and the final paragraph requests a replacement and explains the deadline. This makes the letter’s main purpose understandable. However, the progression within sentences is sometimes awkward, particularly in “When my parcel arrived i tried the clothes on me I feel…” where several events are joined without clear punctuation or a smooth link. The final paragraph also combines the request, the reason, and the possible consequence in one long sentence. Use clearer sentence boundaries and more purposeful links, and add a conventional closing, such as “Yours faithfully,” to give the letter a more complete structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the complaint and its context, including “fabric,” “uncomfortable,” “itching,” and “replacement.” Some choices, however, are imprecise or unnatural for a formal customer-service letter. “Fancy attire” is not quite the same as the specific clothes ordered, while “change my shirt” would be clearer as a request to replace it. “Spoil my party” is understandable but informal and overstates the likely consequence. There are also spelling and form errors, such as “atteirs,” which make the final request less polished. Aim for precise complaint vocabulary and natural collocations, for example “defective shirt,” “replacement garment,” and “the event may be affected.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause in “because I have very few days left” and a conditional construction beginning “If ill not get…”. However, control is inconsistent, and several sentences contain errors that make the reader pause. In “When my parcel arrived i tried the clothes on me I feel,” the tense shifts from past to present and the clauses are not properly separated. The conditional should use a complete form such as “If I do not receive…,” and “I will need to wear those clothes for whole day” needs an article before “whole day.” Capitalisation of “I” and sentence punctuation also need attention. Practise accurate past-tense narration and break long sentences into clear clauses.

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