Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-02

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to show my strong dissatisfaction of the product which I recently bought last week from your online store.

My order number no. is #98765. I purchase a navy blue formal blazer on 10 Oct 2026 which arrive yesterday. The items was delivered to my home address on 15 Oct 2026. The payment was done through credit card.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the quality of the apparel. The blazer I received have different shade of navy blue than the one displayed on your website and the fabric quality is very poor than describe. Moreover, there is also a problem in size, it does not fit well despite ordering the correct size according to your size chart. These issue suggest a lack of quality control.

So, I need a urgent replacement of my product as soon as possible through express delivery, as I ordered this for one of the important professional event.

I look forward to your quick response and fast action.

Yours sincerely,

Amreen

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The letter covers all three required points clearly. You identify the purchase with the order number, blazer colour, purchase date and payment method; describe the colour, fabric and fit problems; and explain that you need a replacement for an important professional event. The request for express delivery makes the urgency especially clear. These details make the purpose of the letter easy to understand and the ideas are well developed for a complaint. To make the response even more complete, specify a deadline or event date so the company can judge how quickly the replacement must arrive, and state what action you expect if a replacement cannot be provided in time.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The information follows a sensible sequence: purpose, purchase details, problems, urgent request and closing. Separate paragraphs help the reader distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “Unfortunately,” “Moreover” and “So” make the progression clear. The letter is easy to follow overall. Some connections are a little mechanical, however, particularly the move from the list of product faults to “These issue suggest a lack of quality control,” and then to the request. You could make the relationship more natural by explaining that the faults mean the blazer is unsuitable for the event. Also, avoid repeating the idea of speed in “quick response and fast action” after already requesting express delivery.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “strong dissatisfaction,” “fabric quality,” “quality control” and “express delivery.” These choices communicate the problem and requested remedy, and the reader can understand the message throughout. There are some inaccurate or unnatural word choices and collocations, such as “dissatisfaction of the product,” “the apparel,” and “fast action.” “The items” is also imprecise when referring to one blazer. Aim for more natural complaint-letter phrasing and precise references to the garment. The attempts at formal vocabulary are useful, but greater control of collocation would make the tone more fluent and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, such as the sentence explaining that the blazer does not fit despite your having ordered the correct size. Most grammatical errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the complaint. However, some errors occur in verb forms, agreement and articles: “I purchase” should be “I purchased,” “which arrive” should be “which arrived,” “The items was” should be “The item was,” and “the blazer I received have” should be “has.” There are also errors in “than describe” and “a urgent replacement.” Proofread each sentence for tense consistency, singular–plural agreement and article use; this would improve accuracy while preserving your range of structures.

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