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 or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the products, I purchased from your online clothing store. For the occasion of my bachelor's party, I ordered a total of 5 items which include 2 pajama sets, 1 silk formal shirt and 2 denim jeans from the site.

The purchased was made on October 4, 2026 at midnight using my debit card ending in 0098. When I woke up this morning, I recieved a notification about my parcel delivery. Although,I was excited to open it, when I tried them on something didn't felt right.

Firstly, the two sets, both were supposed to be made of pure cotton matieral though after checking the texture and material labels they resulted in being made of polyester. Secondly, the denim jeans came torned up from the cronch area and looked similar to be bitten by rats.

I was completly dishearted after seeing this and want to request an urgent replacement of the items. Moreover, I would appreciate if you work on the advertisments and details about items being showcased on the website.

I would be delighted if you could resolve my concerns and please contact me for detailed information.

Yours faithfully,

Mehakdeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requirements: it identifies the order, describes the incorrect fabric and damaged jeans, and requests an urgent replacement. Details such as the purchase date, payment method and item quantities make the complaint specific, while the closing remains appropriately polite. The urgency is stated, but its reason is not explained: the bachelor’s party is mentioned at the start, yet you do not say when it is or how the faulty clothing affects your plans. Develop this link explicitly, for example by explaining that the event is imminent and you need the correct items before it. The request for a replacement is clear, though specifying which items need replacing would make the desired resolution more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear progression from the purchase, to the delivery and defects, and then to the requested action. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and signposts such as “Firstly” and “Secondly” make the two problems easy to follow. The final paragraph also gives the company a clear next step by inviting contact. To make the organisation more polished, connect the opening reference to the bachelor’s party with the later request for urgency, so the reason for the deadline is immediately clear. Some transitions are slightly mechanical, particularly the numbered sequence for only two defects; a more natural link between the fabric issue and the damaged jeans would maintain the same clarity with smoother flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “urgent replacement,” “texture,” and “material labels.” These choices communicate the main issues, and the tone is generally suitable. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “recieved,” “matieral,” “completly,” and “dishearted.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “torned up from the cronch area” and “looked similar to be bitten by rats” could be replaced with clearer descriptions such as “torn at the crotch” and “appeared to have been chewed.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and proofread spelling, especially in the description of the damage, where precise wording strengthens a complaint.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “items which include…” and a time clause beginning “When I woke up this morning.” The meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “I purchased” should not be separated from “products” by a comma, “something didn't felt right” should be “something didn’t feel right,” and “Although,I” needs punctuation and a complete, smoothly connected clause. The sentence “Firstly, the two sets, both were supposed…” also has a faulty structure; try “Firstly, both sets were supposed to be made of pure cotton.” Continue using varied sentence patterns, while checking verb forms, clause construction and punctuation.

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