Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-07-29

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)

Hello dear sir,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this email to discuss my concern that is about bought a jacket from your store a few days ago.

Firstly, I would describe the issue with this jacket which is totally damaged including the quality and stuff.

Apart from this, yesterday when i came to sore to return tis jacket your staff denied to return tis back. He said we can not return this because of our store policy.

Lastly, I would you request you to make some changes into your policy to build more trust from customers and get good reviews. This not only waste my money but also waste my time.

I hope you understand my concern and look forward to your response soon.

Best regards,

Raman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the damage, explaining the refusal of the return, and stating the desired outcome. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum, which limits the development of ideas. The description of the damage is vague ('totally damaged including the quality and stuff'), and the request to the manager is somewhat generic. To improve, you should provide specific details about the damage (e.g., a broken zipper or a tear in the fabric) and expand on the impact of the store's policy to better justify your request for a resolution.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure, moving from the introduction to the problem, the store's response, and finally the request. Paragraphing is present, though the paragraphs are quite short due to the limited word count. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Apart from this', and 'Lastly', but these feel somewhat mechanical. The flow between sentences is generally clear, but the lack of depth in the content makes the overall progression feel abrupt. Using more varied linking phrases and expanding your sentences would help create a smoother, more professional tone.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. Phrases like 'stuff' and 'totally damaged' lack the precision expected in a formal complaint letter. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'discuss my concern that is about bought a jacket' (should be 'regarding the purchase of a jacket'). To reach a higher band, you should aim for more formal and specific vocabulary related to retail and consumer rights, such as 'defective', 'faulty', 'store policy', or 'refund/exchange'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains several grammatical errors that affect the flow, such as 'I am writing this email to discuss my concern that is about bought a jacket' and 'your staff denied to return tis back'. There are also spelling errors like 'sore' instead of 'store' and 'tis' instead of 'this'. While the meaning is generally clear, the sentence structures are mostly simple. To improve, you should focus on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for basic spelling mistakes. Incorporating more complex sentence structures, such as using relative clauses or conditional sentences, would also improve your score.

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