Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

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 THIS LETTER IN REFERENCE TO RECENT PURCHASE I MADE FROM YOUR CLOTHING BRAND.

LAST WEEKEND USING THE OFFICIAL BRAND WEBSITE.I BOUGHT TWO PLAIN WHITE FORMAL SHIRTS SIZE MEDIUM TO WEAR THEM FOR MY OFFICE.

HOWEVER THE WEBSITE MENTIONED THEY ARE WHITE FORMALS BUT ONCE THEY WERE DELIVERED TO MY APARTMENT I NOTICED THEY WERE NOT WHITE IN COLOR INSTEAD THEY ARE LIGHT BLUE AS WELL AS EXTRA LARGE IN SIZE.

I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD SEND ME A REPLACEMENT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE BACUSE I WAS PLANNING TO WEAR THEM ON A SPECIAL OCCASION AT MY WORKPLACE , I WAS MEANT TO WEAR THEM FOR OUR MANAGER'S FAREWELL PARTY IN WHICH ALL THE STAFF AND OTHER MEMBERS ARE STRICTLY REQUIRED TO WEAR WHITE FORMAL SHIRT AND BALCK PANTS WITH BLACK TIES.I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE PURCHASE I MADE AND HOPING TO GET MY ORDER REPLACED AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.

SINCEARLY,

ABBY.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three requested points clearly. The purchase is identified as two medium-sized white formal shirts bought through the official website last weekend; you explain that the delivered shirts are light blue and extra large; and you give a specific reason for urgency, namely the manager’s farewell party, where staff must wear white shirts. This concrete context supports your request for a replacement and makes the purpose of the letter clear. To strengthen the response further, include a direct practical request, such as asking the company to arrange collection of the incorrect shirts or confirm when the replacements will arrive. The content is relevant and well supported, although the final request could be more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible order: you introduce the purchase, describe the mismatch, and then explain why a replacement is urgent. Linking expressions such as “However” and “as well as” help connect the problem to the details, and the farewell-party explanation gives the request a clear context. However, the letter is presented as one long block, so the shift from purchase details to the problem and then to urgency is not visually clear. Some connections are also crowded into a single sentence, particularly the explanation of the party dress code. Use separate paragraphs for these stages and divide the long request into shorter sentences. This would make the progression easier to follow and the cohesion less dependent on basic linking phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough task-related vocabulary to communicate the situation, including “replacement,” “formal shirts,” “special occasion,” and “farewell party.” These choices make the complaint and its urgency understandable. There are, however, several spelling errors, including “bacuse,” “balck,” and “sincearly,” and some phrasing is not natural for a formal complaint: “in reference to recent purchase” and “wear them for my office.” The repeated use of “white” and “wear” also limits variety. Aim for accurate spelling and more precise collocations, such as “regarding my recent order” and “wear them to work.” This would make your vocabulary more controlled and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast introduced by “However” and the reason clause beginning “in which.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “Last weekend using the official brand website” is a sentence fragment, while “I noticed they were not white … instead they are light blue” shifts tense inconsistently. The opening also needs an article in “a recent purchase,” and the sentence about the farewell party contains several ideas joined without clear punctuation. Use complete sentences, keep past-tense reporting consistent, and check articles and sentence boundaries. These changes would improve control while preserving your attempts at varied structures.

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

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