Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-26

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 5.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my deep dissatisfiction regarding the clothes I purchase recently from website. That included a pair of jeans and a blazer

To give more detail, I ordered a black jeans, boyfriend style with the reference 4588. Also I asked for a blazer in the colour pink. In your website you mentiond that delivery take less than a week.

After more than a month, I received my order I was suprised to find a blue jeans of size 42 and no t-shirt even I already payed for both I items, I only recieved one with the wrong color and size.

To resolve this matter satisfactorily, I would request a full refund of all my purchases as soon as possible.

I look forward to your to recieving your prompt response regarding this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Lamia.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the purchase and give useful details, including the jeans’ reference number, requested colour and style, and the delayed delivery. You also explain that the items received did not match the order. However, the response only partially fulfils the task: it asks for a refund rather than explaining why you urgently need a replacement, and the blazer is described as missing while a T-shirt is mentioned instead, leaving the problem unclear. The request is therefore not fully aligned with the instructions. The response is also below the required 150 words, so there is limited space to develop the complaint and urgency. Add a clear reason for needing the correct clothing quickly and specify exactly what should be replaced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable sequence: you introduce the complaint, describe the order, explain what arrived, and make a request. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and phrases such as “To give more detail” and “To resolve this matter” signal the purpose of the next section. However, progression is weakened by unclear references and inconsistent item details: the blazer is first requested, but later you say there was “no t-shirt.” The final request for a refund also does not follow clearly from the task’s need for an urgent replacement. Improve cohesion by keeping the same names for each item and linking the delivery problem directly to a specific replacement request.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of complaint-related language, including “deep dissatisfaction,” “reference,” “full refund,” and “prompt response.” These choices make the purpose of the letter clear. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, for example “dissatisfiction,” “suprised,” “recieved,” and “payed.” Some phrasing is also unnatural or imprecise, such as “I asked for a blazer” and “I only recieved one,” particularly because the items are not consistently identified. Use standard complaint collocations such as “I ordered” and “the item delivered,” and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary for the requested remedy would also help distinguish a replacement from a refund.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand the main complaint. For example, “After more than a month, I received my order” establishes the delay before describing the problem. However, errors occur in verb forms, articles, plurals, and sentence construction: “the clothes I purchase recently” should use a past form, “a black jeans” has an article and number problem, and “I only recieved one with the wrong color and size” is structurally unclear. The opening also ends “That included a pair of jeans and a blazer” without clear punctuation. Review past-tense forms and singular/plural agreement, and use shorter, complete sentences when explaining which items arrived or were missing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.