Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You travelled from Bristol to Edinburgh on a Northstar Airways flight. It was delayed for several hours, and airport staff gave passengers very little information.

Write a letter to the manager of Northstar Airways. In your letter

• explain what happened during the delay and what information you were given
• describe how the delay affected your plans
• say what you would like the airline to do in response

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this letter finds you well!

My name is Kirandeep Kaur. I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction towards customer service of your crew. Last week, I took a Northstar Airways from Bristol to Edinburgh because I had a really important presentation in my company at Edinburgh. Your staff did not provide enough information about how many hours flight were delayed. Moreover, they did not even mentioned from which gate new flight was departuring. Which I found most unprofessional.

Due to this I had to cancel my presentation which was most disrespectful as majority of clients in that seminar was arriving from different countries. After that we had to rescheduled the presentation session. Due to this all business partners had to cancel their other plans.

It would be really greatful if you could compensate my trip by providing approximately 20% discount on my next flight. Moreover, it would also be a great idea if you could teach your staff about dealing professionally with the clients and giving them accurate information. Thank yiu so much for your time and consideration.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Kiran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three required points: it reports inadequate updates about the delay and gate, explains that you missed an important presentation and that it had to be rescheduled, and requests compensation and staff training. The purpose and complaint are clear, and the specific business consequences make the impact relevant. However, the account of the delay itself is brief: you do not say how long it lasted or describe what happened while passengers waited, so this part is less fully developed than the effects and requested response. The request for a 20% discount is clear, but a brief explanation of why this remedy is appropriate would strengthen it. More precise detail about the delay and its communication would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall structure, moving from the complaint to its consequences and then to the requested action. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking phrases such as “Moreover” and “Due to this” help connect related points. The sequence is generally easy to follow, although repeated use of “Due to this” makes some connections feel mechanical. The sentence beginning “Which I found most unprofessional” is a fragment, so its link to the preceding information is less smooth. You could combine it with the previous sentence and vary the transitions—for example, use “As a result” for the effect on your presentation. These refinements would make cohesion more flexible while preserving the clear organisation already present.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “express my dissatisfaction,” “presentation,” “business partners,” “compensate,” and “accurate information.” These choices communicate the main points, and the tone is mostly appropriate. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, however: “dissatisfaction towards customer service” is less natural than “dissatisfaction with the service,” and “compensate my trip” does not clearly express the requested remedy. There are also spelling errors, including “greatful” and “yiu,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise complaint-letter phrasing and proofread carefully; stronger collocations would make your vocabulary sound more natural and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at more complex structures, such as “because I had a really important presentation” and “if you could compensate…”. Meaning is generally clear, but some errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction remain. For example, “how many hours flight were delayed” has an incorrect noun phrase and verb agreement, while “they did not even mentioned” uses the wrong verb form after “did not.” “Which I found most unprofessional” is a sentence fragment, and “the presentation session” clause contains an agreement error in “clients… was arriving.” Review past-tense forms, subject–verb agreement, and how to attach relative or explanatory clauses. More accurate control of these structures would improve the letter’s fluency.

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

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