Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-15

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my

dissatisfaction with my recent purchase from your store.

On 10th of October, I visited one of your branches in the New Sudbury Centre mall and choose a dress for my graduation party. To be specific about my purchase, I bought a denim dress from your new arrival collection. Although the dress I tried on in the trial room there was perfect to my size, the fresh piece I got was way too loose for me when I tried today. I have my graduation party day after tomorrow and unfortunately, that was one piece of clothing I had decided for my special day.

Since, I am sure that I told the cashier right size during my purchase, I would appreciate it if I can get the new dress shipped to my address using express shipping so that my special day is not ruined. I would return the dress I have later when I visit the mall again.

I hope you would undertand my situation and do something promptly to resolve this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Navneet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter clearly addresses all three requested points and maintains an appropriate formal purpose. You identify the purchase as a denim dress from the new-arrivals collection, explain that the item delivered is too loose despite the one tried on fitting, and make the urgency clear by saying the graduation party is “day after tomorrow.” You also request express delivery and explain that you can return the unsuitable dress later. These details make the request persuasive and relevant. To strengthen the response further, clarify whether the purchase was made online or at the mall branch, since the task describes an online purchase but your account says you visited a branch. A brief detail such as the order number or exact size would also make the complaint more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: purpose, purchase and problem, urgent request, then a polite closing. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and links such as “Although” and “Since” show relationships between ideas. The reader can follow why the replacement is needed and what action you want the company to take. Some connections could be smoother and more precise, however. “Since, I am sure…” has an unnecessary comma after “Since,” and the shift from buying at a mall branch to asking for a replacement to be shipped is not fully explained. Clarifying that sequence and using a more direct transition into the requested remedy would make the progression feel more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “express shipping,” “resolve this matter,” and “special day.” These choices communicate the problem and desired action clearly, and the tone is generally appropriate. There are also some imprecise or unnatural expressions that limit flexibility: “one piece of clothing I had decided for my special day” is awkward, while “fresh piece” and “trial room” are less natural in this context. “Undertand” is a spelling error, and “new arrival collection” would be more idiomatic as “new arrivals collection.” Aim for concise, conventional complaint-letter phrasing, such as “the replacement item” and “the dress I selected for the occasion.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The letter includes a useful mix of simple and complex sentence forms. For example, “Although the dress I tried on…was perfect to my size, the fresh piece I got was way too loose” attempts a contrast clause, and the request sentence combines a condition with a desired outcome. Meaning remains clear throughout. Some grammatical errors remain, including “I…choose a dress” instead of “chose,” “perfect to my size” rather than “the right size for me,” and “I would appreciate it if I can get” where “could get” is needed for a polite request. The sentence beginning “Since” also has faulty punctuation. Review past-tense forms and conditional request structures, and check prepositions and commas when editing.

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