Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-07-28

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,

I am writing this letter to inform you about a Jacket that I purchased from the Zara Vancouver branch on 25 April at around 6 pm.

It is a dark brown jacket with two pockets at the bottom. Unfortunately, the jacket is damaged inside the sleeves, which I didn't notice while buying.

Next day i went to store again with the damaged jacket and asked one of the staff name as Kiran to help me out with retune that, but they told me that once you left the store it not the responsibility of the merchandise. Moreover, I asked her about an exchange, but she de

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 108 words long. Consequently, the task is incomplete, and the final bullet point regarding what you would like the manager to do is entirely missing. While you have addressed the first two bullet points by describing the jacket's defect and the interaction with the staff member, the failure to complete the letter and the significant under-length penalty severely impact the score. To improve, ensure you fully develop each point and check that your response meets the minimum length requirement to avoid a substantial penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, starting with the purpose of the correspondence and moving into the details of the problem. However, the abrupt ending due to the incomplete text makes it difficult to assess the overall flow. You used some cohesive devices like 'Unfortunately' and 'Moreover', which help connect ideas. To improve, ensure that your paragraphs are clearly structured and that you use a wider variety of linking words to guide the reader through your argument. The lack of a conclusion or a proper sign-off also negatively affects the coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'purchased', 'merchandise', and 'damaged'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'help me out with retune that' (should be 'return') and 'it not the responsibility of the merchandise' (should be 'it is not the store's responsibility'). The range is somewhat limited, and the errors in word formation occasionally hinder the clarity of your message. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology related to retail and customer service, and ensure you proofread for basic word-form errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'Next day i went to store' (missing articles and capitalization), 'name as Kiran' (incorrect preposition), and 'once you left the store it not the responsibility' (tense inconsistency and missing verb). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and consistent verb tenses. Practicing complex sentence structures like relative clauses or conditional sentences will also help improve your range.

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