Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-12

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform you about the Jacket I purchased from your shop. I got home and found out it is torned, I took it back to your shop but your sales representative refused to change it.

The moment I arrived, I unboxed the package and found out the zip at the front is damaged, I was displeased the moment I noticed it.

I immediately took the jacket back to your boutique, I complained to the merchant about the issue but I was told the jacket cannot be returned even after informing him that I bought the jacket an hour ago, his reply was still the same.

I will be glad if this jacket can be replaced as soon as possible. Kindly, send a message to your staff to fix this issue.

Thank you for your consideration and I look towards your immediate response and promt action.

Yours faithfully,

Nnamdi Destiny

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose: you explain that the jacket was damaged, describe the refusal to accept it, and request a replacement. Details such as the damaged front zip and the fact that you returned it an hour after buying it make the complaint relevant and persuasive. The requested action is also clear in “I will be glad if this jacket can be replaced.” To strengthen the response further, develop the remedy slightly—for example, state whether you would accept a refund if a replacement is unavailable—and make the request to the manager more specific. Overall, the task is fully covered, though the proposed resolution could be elaborated.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence: the opening identifies the complaint, the next paragraphs describe the defect and the return attempt, and the closing states what you want. Paragraphing helps the reader follow these stages. However, some connections are repetitive or awkward. “I got home and found out…” in the opening repeats information that is explained more clearly in the next paragraph, while the repeated “I… I…” sentence openings make the progression somewhat mechanical. The sentence beginning “I immediately took the jacket back…” also joins several ideas with commas, making the relationship between them less clear. Use clearer sentence boundaries and varied linking expressions to make the organisation smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the complaint and requested outcome, including “sales representative,” “damaged,” “replaced,” and “immediate response.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “zip at the front” and “boutique.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “torned” is not the correct form, “merchant” is an unusual term for a shop employee, and “fix this issue” is vague in this context. “Promt” is also misspelled. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the letter, but more precise collocations would make it sound more professional. Prefer standard complaint-letter wording such as “front zip,” “sales assistant,” and “resolve this matter.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple statements and longer sentences, and the intended meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. In “I got home and found out it is torned,” the tense shifts from past to present, and the verb form is incorrect; a consistent version would be “I got home and found that it was torn.” The sentence “I immediately took the jacket back to your boutique, I complained…” joins two independent clauses with a comma. Also, “I will be glad if this jacket can be replaced” would be more naturally structured as “I would be grateful if you could replace the jacket.” Greater control of tense, clause boundaries, and conditional forms would improve accuracy while preserving your range of sentence structures.

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