Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently bought a jacket, but when you got home, you discovered it was
damaged. When you took it back to the store, you were told that merchandise
cannot be returned.

Write a letter to the store manager. In your letter:
• describe the problem with the jacket.
• explain what happened when you tried to return it.
• say what you would like the manager to do.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I recently visited your store for some Christmas shopping and got very excited to see all the new articles .Everything seemed very elegant and stylish but what actually caught my eyes was the Jacket section specially the brown leather jacket with inner fleece .

I tried it on and it fited perfectly so i bought it right away .As i was walking towards the counter for the checkout, the sales manager took the jacket and bring out the new packed one for me ,which was actually a good jesture so i payed and came back home.Today when i was packing for my trip i noticed that the jacket he gave me was damaged .The inner fleece got few cuts and the stiching was ill too.

Therfore, i went back to the store and explained the situation to the manger but he was not ready for the cooperation. Alli wanted was an exchange of

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You establish the situation clearly: you bought a brown leather jacket with fleece lining, then found cuts in the lining and poor stitching. You also say that the manager would not cooperate when you returned to the store. However, the letter is incomplete: it ends with “All I wanted was an exchange of” and never states a complete request or explains what the store told you about its no-return policy. This leaves an important task point unresolved and means the manager is not given a clear action to take. To strengthen the response, finish the account of the refusal and make a specific request, such as an exchange, repair, or refund, with a brief reason.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The events are presented in a generally understandable order, moving from shopping, to discovering the damage, to returning to the store. Time references such as “As I was walking towards the counter” and “Today when I was packing for my trip” help the reader follow the sequence. However, most of the response is packed into one long paragraph, and the final sentence breaks off, so the progression does not reach a clear conclusion. Some links between ideas are also awkward, particularly the shift from the pleasant shopping experience to the damaged item. Use separate paragraphs for the purchase, the problem and return, and your requested solution, then complete the final point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant and descriptive vocabulary, including “brown leather jacket,” “inner fleece,” “cuts,” and “stitching,” which helps identify the problem. Phrases such as “elegant and stylish” also convey your reaction to the store’s products. However, several spelling and word-choice errors make the letter less polished, including “fited,” “jesture,” “payed,” and “manger.” Some expressions are unnatural or imprecise, such as “caught my eyes” and “was not ready for the cooperation.” Choose more conventional collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, say the jacket “caught my eye” and the manager “was unwilling to cooperate.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, for example, “I tried it on and … bought it right away” and the sentence beginning “As I was walking towards the counter.” The sequence of events is usually understandable. However, control is uneven: “the sales manager took the jacket and bring out” shifts incorrectly between past and present forms, while “the inner fleece got few cuts” has an article error. Several sentences run together without appropriate punctuation, and the final construction, “All I wanted was an exchange of,” is incomplete. Review past-tense consistency, articles, and sentence boundaries, and make sure each sentence expresses a complete thought.

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