Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-19

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 5.5)

dear sir/madam,

THE PROBLEM CONCERNING THE CLOTHS I PURCHASED ONLINE WITH YOUR COMPANY.

I am writing this letter hoping it finds you well.I take this particular and owesome time to write this letter to your company to bring into your attention of the mistakes that occured concerning the clothes with the tracking order number KL675MBG that i recieved yesterday.

According to the details i gave online as of the collours of clothes i needed is quit different to what was delivered to me yesterday.I am the acting chairman of a choir group of a given church.The order i gave was for the uniform that was ment for the a wedding cerremony that is going to take place i two weeks time.

I humble request for the immediate replacement in order to catch up with time that is in motion and nolonger awaits.The team will highly appreciate your concern and effort on this matter.

your faithfully

Brian Mboya.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the main requirements: you identify the order with tracking number KL675MBG, explain that the delivered colours differ from those requested, and ask for an immediate replacement. The reason for urgency is relevant and specific: the clothes are choir uniforms for a wedding ceremony in two weeks. However, the purchase details are limited, and the request could be clearer about what replacement you expect and how the company should arrange it. The opening and closing are present, but the letter would be more effective if it stated the problem and requested action directly, then developed the urgency with a little more explanation. Overall, the key points are covered, though some are less fully explained than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter follows a broadly sensible order: it introduces the complaint, describes the colour problem, gives the context for the purchase, and requests a replacement. Paragraphing helps separate these points. However, the progression is not always smooth: the sentence about being the choir chairman interrupts the explanation of the order, and the final request is brief after a long, crowded paragraph. Some linking is mechanical or unclear, as in “According to the details I gave online” and “in order to catch up with time that is in motion.” Use clearer transitions and keep each paragraph focused on one purpose: order details, the defect, and the urgent remedy. This would make the message easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to a formal complaint, including “tracking order number,” “immediate replacement,” and “wedding ceremony,” so the reader can understand the situation. There are also attempts at more formal expressions, but several are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “bring into your attention,” “I humble request,” and “time that is in motion and no longer awaits.” Spelling and word-form errors, including “cloths,” “owesome,” “collours,” and “cerremony,” are noticeable and reduce the professional impression. Aim for precise, natural phrases rather than elaborate wording: for example, say that you are “writing to bring an issue to your attention” and “would appreciate an urgent replacement.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes both simple statements and attempts at longer sentences, such as the explanation beginning “According to the details I gave online.” However, control of sentence structure and punctuation is uneven. The opening runs together (“I am writing this letter hoping it finds you well.I take…”), and the clause about the wedding is difficult to follow because its parts are not clearly connected. There are also errors in articles, prepositions, and verb forms, for example “a wedding cerremony that is going to take place i two weeks time.” These issues sometimes make the reader pause, although the main message remains understandable. Use shorter, complete sentences and check punctuation and grammatical links between clauses.

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