Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-17

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/Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the clothes I purchased from your online platform (ABC.com).

I ordered a cotton T-shirt(white) and a blue jean (Size L) on Thursday from your online website. Next day, I recieved all the items and it costs me $42 including taxes and everthing.

The main issue is the quality of the T-shirt which is poor and It can be easily ripped off without any force. Another problem is with the jean, the colour mentioned in the image is different than what I recieved. The colour has fadded especially from areas such as knees and pockets. Although, quality of the jean is excellent, the colour is not orignal blue.

It would be really apperciated if you could provide me an urgent replacement because I am going to wear this dress on my college festival which is coming next month. Please kindly solve this issue as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Yours sincerely,

Davinder.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter clearly addresses all three requirements: you identify the purchase, explain the defects, and request a replacement with a reason for urgency. Details such as the T-shirt and jeans, the $42 cost, and the college festival next month make the complaint specific and relevant. You also maintain a clear, appropriate purpose throughout. The explanation of the T-shirt’s poor quality and the jeans’ faded colour supports your request, although the urgency could be developed more fully by stating why you need the replacement before the festival or giving a preferred deadline. Overall, the task is fully addressed, with room to extend one supporting point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear progression: you introduce the complaint, give purchase details, describe each problem, and then request a replacement. Separate paragraphs help the reader distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “The main issue,” “Another problem,” and “Although” guide the explanation. The closing is also appropriate for a formal complaint. Some connections could be smoother: “Although” introduces a contrast, but the sentence’s relationship between the jeans’ good quality and incorrect colour is slightly awkward. You could also link the festival date more directly to the urgency of the request. The organisation is clear throughout, while a few transitions could be more precise and natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to explain the purchase and complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “quality,” “replacement,” and “faded.” These choices make the main problems understandable, and phrases such as “including taxes” suit the context. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “recieved,” “everthing,” “fadded,” “orignal,” and “apperciated.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “blue jean” would be more naturally expressed as “a pair of blue jeans,” while “ripped off” does not clearly describe fabric tearing. Aim for accurate spelling and more precise complaint vocabulary, such as “tear easily” and “the colour differs from the one shown online.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “which is poor” and the contrast introduced by “Although.” Most of the message remains easy to understand, and the sequence of events is clear. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In “Next day, I … and it costs me,” the article and tense need attention: “The next day, … and it cost me.” The sentence beginning “Although” is not correctly punctuated as a standalone clause, and “the quality of the jean” needs an article and a plural garment form. Review tense consistency, articles, and sentence boundaries; improving these points would make the letter more controlled without changing its clear meaning.

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