Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-01

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 or Madam,

I am writing a letter to inform you that I bought the clothes from your website. I have purchased the one shirt, t-shirt and one jeans. In your website page, you have provided the 7 days replacement policy, and for this I thinked in case i have received wrong product or wrong size, I can replace it..

I have ordered the medium size of shirts and t-shirt and 30 number jeans, but it is small and tigh for me and I need one lagre size of all these clothes. And I want to purchase one shocks set also.

In next week, I have to go my cousion marrige and for that reason I request you to replace my order as soon as possible. I have return the my order yesterday, kindly replace my order within next 4 days.

I will be very thankful for you.

Your faithfully,

Amit

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all three requested points: you identify the clothing ordered, explain that the items are too small and tight, and give a reason for urgency by mentioning your cousin’s wedding next week. The request to replace the order within four days is also clear. However, some details are underdeveloped or unclear: “the one shirt, t-shirt and one jeans” does not specify the items very precisely, and the request to buy a socks set is not clearly connected to the replacement. You could make the purchase details more exact and explain whether you want a different size or a refund if replacement is unavailable. This would make the purpose and requested action more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall sequence: you introduce the purchase, describe the sizing problem, and then explain the deadline and request. Separate paragraphs help the reader follow these stages. Some connections are less smooth, however. “In your website page” and “for this” make the opening explanation difficult to follow, while “And I want to purchase one shocks set also” interrupts the main replacement request. The final paragraph combines the wedding, the return, and the deadline without clearly showing how the return process relates to the four-day request. Use clearer linking phrases and keep related information together so the progression feels more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main issue, using relevant terms such as “replacement policy,” “wrong size,” “replace,” and “as soon as possible.” However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors sometimes make the message less clear or less professional. Examples include “tigh,” “lagre,” “shocks,” and “marrige”; the intended words appear to be “tight,” “larger,” “socks,” and “marriage.” “30 number jeans” is also an unnatural way to describe the size. Aim for accurate clothing and customer-service vocabulary, such as “size 30 jeans” and “exchange the items for a larger size.” Proofreading would improve clarity and tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and longer sentences, and the reader can generally understand the request. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “I have purchased the one shirt” needs a more natural article pattern, while “I thinked” should be “I thought.” In “I have return the my order yesterday,” the verb form and article use are incorrect; “I returned the order yesterday” is clearer. There are also problems in “I have to go my cousion marrige,” where the sentence needs a preposition and possessive structure. Practise accurate past-tense forms and check each sentence for complete grammatical patterns.

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