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 or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent purchase from your website. My receipt ID is #[redacted phone].

First of all, I made an online purchase on last Friday, October 8th, with my credit card. I bought a few pieces of clothing along with some towels. Overall, I spent $114.65 for that order.

The primary issue is, I was being charged for $164.65. Regardless of your fastest delivery and premium quality of clothes, I am disappointed with your payment service. While making a payment, I received a notification showing that I had $50 voucher. I redeemed it, but it did not go through. The code I used was SAVE50

The reason why I need a refund immediately is, my bank statement will generate within a couple of days, and I would definitely not like to bear that expense because of your faulty web description. I would appreciate it if you could generate a refund of $50 directly in my provided credit card.

I look forward to your prompt response and a satisfactory resolution to this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Rutvi Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The letter identifies the purchase and gives useful details, including the receipt ID, date, items, total, and voucher code. It also explains the $50 discrepancy and clearly requests that the money be returned to the credit card. However, the response does not fully address the task as set: it asks for a refund rather than describing a clothing problem and explaining why a replacement is urgently needed. The urgency is linked to the upcoming bank statement, but this supports a refund request, not the required replacement. The reference to “faulty web description” is also unclear and does not explain what went wrong with the clothing. To address the task more fully, describe the garment issue and state why you need a replacement by a specific date.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: an opening purpose, purchase details, the problem, a request, and a polite closing. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages, and transitions such as “First of all” and “The primary issue” signal the sequence. The progression is weakened, however, because the discussion shifts from clothing to a payment dispute, then to a refund, without connecting these points to the requested replacement. Some linking phrases also feel mechanical, and “The reason why I need a refund immediately is” introduces a long explanation that could be more directly organised. Keep the same clear paragraph structure, but make each paragraph serve the task’s clothing problem and urgent replacement request.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of formal vocabulary for a complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “redeemed,” “generate a refund,” and “satisfactory resolution.” These choices make the purpose and requested action understandable, and the tone is generally appropriate for a company letter. Some expressions are less natural or precise in context: “payment service” is vague for a failed voucher redemption, while “faulty web description” does not clearly identify the problem. “Bear that expense” is also an awkward way to describe being charged incorrectly. More precise wording would help distinguish the clothing issue from the payment issue and make the request easier to act on. Aim for natural collocations and specific descriptions of the item and defect.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “While making a payment, I received a notification…” and the conditional request “I would appreciate it if…”. Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and punctuation generally supports readability. Some grammatical errors remain: “on last Friday” should be “last Friday,” “I was being charged for $164.65” is an awkward passive construction, and “The reason why I need a refund immediately is, my bank statement…” incorrectly separates the clause after “is.” The sentence beginning “Regardless of your fastest delivery…” is also structurally unclear. Review prepositions, passive forms, and punctuation around clauses, while retaining the range of sentence structures you already attempt.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.