Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-25

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 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with an online clothing purchase I made recently from your prominent clothing website. I had ordered a 3-piece suit which was navy blue in color. Additionally, a red colored tie and a purple handkerchief was also ordered along with the suit. The order had been placed on October 15th during the afternoon and was fully payed via my credit card ending in 4325.

Unfortunately, the parcel had several problems. Although the website offers same day delivery for online orders, the parcel was delivered 4 days later than expected. Upon unboxing the package, I was devastated to see there were missing items. The tie and pants were not present in the package causing a great inconvenience and unreliability.

I would particularly appreciate a prompt action from your side as I need these items urgently. I have an upcoming school event where I must follow the requested dresscode, and without the whole suit it is impossible for me to take part in the event. I cordially request immediate delivery of the pants and tie. All the supporting pictures of the parcel and receipt are attached to the email.

Hoping to receive a prompt response at your earliest.

Yours faithfully,

Mohdeep Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.5

The letter covers all three requirements clearly: it identifies the purchase and payment, explains the late delivery and missing items, and gives a convincing reason for urgency. Details such as the order date, suit colour, card ending, and school event make the complaint specific and well supported. The requested remedy—delivery of the missing pants and tie—is also explicit, and the tone is appropriately formal. To make the response even more complete, clarify the discrepancy between the original order description, which lists a suit, tie, and handkerchief, and the later claim that the pants and tie are missing. A precise request for a delivery date or another remedy would also strengthen the practical outcome of the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The information is arranged in a clear sequence: purchase details, problems with the parcel, then urgency and the requested action. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking expressions such as “Unfortunately,” “Although,” and “Upon unboxing” help the reader follow events. The final paragraph also connects the missing items to the school event effectively. Some cohesion is less natural in phrases such as “causing a great inconvenience and unreliability,” where the relationship between the missing items and “unreliability” is unclear. The closing sentence, “Hoping to receive a prompt response at your earliest,” is also an incomplete construction. More precise links between the order details and the missing items, plus a complete closing sentence, would make the flow smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The response uses a suitable range of formal complaint vocabulary, including “dissatisfaction,” “parcel,” “prompt action,” and “supporting pictures.” These choices communicate the issue and desired response clearly, and the tone is generally appropriate for a company. There are occasional awkward or imprecise collocations, however: “prominent clothing website” is not a natural way to identify the retailer, and “great inconvenience and unreliability” does not express the consequence precisely. “Cordially request” is also rather stiff in this context. Aim for more natural customer-service phrasing and precise descriptions of the missing goods and delivery problem; this would improve flexibility and collocational control while preserving the formal register.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You use a mix of sentence forms, including a complex concession clause in “Although the website offers same day delivery…” and a conditional construction in “without the whole suit it is impossible…”. Many sentences are clear and grammatically controlled. A few errors remain: “a red colored tie and a purple handkerchief was” has a plural subject and needs “were”; “the parcel had several problems” would be more accurately expressed as the parcel having problems or containing missing items; and “Hoping to receive a prompt response at your earliest” is a sentence fragment. The passive forms in “had been placed” and “were not present” are generally handled well, though the letter would benefit from more consistent, direct sentence construction and careful agreement.

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