Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-04

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 6.0)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction about the purchase of a few clothes.

It is my mother's birthday in next month, I wanted to give her surprise with beautiful dress, which she liked once but could not buy due to financial problems. One of my friend suggested me buy dress online, and it was looking goregous from the pictures and was assuring the good quality. So I bought a yellow long dress with minimul embrodiary.

Unfortunately my excitement turned into sadness, when i recieved the different colour dress, I might could manage the colour but the size and the quality made me so disappointed.The most unsatisfactory thing was packaging was opened already by someone.

Since this dress was liked by my mother. I would like to request for replacement. My mother's birthday coming next month, I generously request you either send the same product as promised on the website or please arrange a refund as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance to address my concern.

Your faithfully,

Jaspal Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points: it identifies the purchase as a yellow long dress with minimal embroidery, explains that the delivered item was the wrong colour, size and quality and had opened packaging, and requests a replacement or refund. The reason for urgency is also clear: the dress is intended as a birthday gift for your mother next month. These details make the purpose and complaint easy to understand. To make the response more fully developed, specify the order date or number and explain more directly why the replacement must arrive before the birthday. The request could also state a preferred remedy more firmly, rather than presenting replacement and refund as equally open options.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a sensible sequence: purpose, background to the purchase, problems with the delivery, and the requested remedy. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and links such as “Unfortunately” and “Since” guide the reader through the complaint. The progression is generally clear, but some connections are awkward or incomplete. For example, “Since this dress was liked by my mother” does not clearly connect the problem to the request, and the birthday is mentioned in both the background and final paragraph without adding much new information. Use clearer transitions to show that the incorrect item cannot serve as the planned gift, and keep the final request focused on the action and deadline.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to a formal complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “replacement,” “refund,” and “quality,” and the reader can understand the main problems. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural word choices are noticeable, limiting the range and control: “goregous,” “minimul,” and “embrodiary” obscure otherwise useful product details, while “generously request” is not an appropriate collocation for a polite request. “A few clothes” is also less precise than the letter’s later reference to one dress. Proofread carefully and choose conventional complaint language so that your vocabulary communicates details accurately and naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, such as the sentence explaining why the dress was chosen and the contrast introduced by “Unfortunately.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make the reader pause. Examples include “It is my mother's birthday in next month,” “One of my friend suggested me buy dress,” and “I might could manage the colour.” The sentence beginning “The most unsatisfactory thing was” also needs a clearer grammatical construction. Review articles, verb patterns, tense, and modal verbs; for example, use “suggested that I buy a dress” and “I might have managed the colour.” More accurate sentence construction would make the complaint easier to follow.

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

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