Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-07-31

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform about the recent purchased of Jacket in the store on July 13 of this month.

I have purchased the Jacket before store closing hours I didn't get chance to try out the Jacket in the store. When I reached the home I opened the package to try out my outfit surprisingly, at the back of the jack was totally torn.

On the very next day I went back to the store to return the Jacket, Unfortunately when I communicated with store employee said item cannot be returned because its on final clearance sale

I would request you to look in to the issue. Please let me know if there is any other option where can I get fully refunded or alternatively can I exchange any other item with the matching price.

Hoping to hear response from you back.

yours faithfully,

Uday

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing the damage, explaining the store's refusal to refund, and stating the desired outcome. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the description of the damage ('totally torn') is brief, and the explanation of the store's policy could be more detailed to better reflect the frustration of the situation. While all parts of the task are addressed, the response lacks the depth and elaboration required for a higher band score. The purpose of the letter is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. There is a reliance on simple sentence structures, and the flow between ideas could be improved with more varied linking words or phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'as a result'). While the overall progression is clear, the lack of sophisticated cohesive devices prevents a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'inform about the recent purchased of Jacket' and 'reached the home'. The student uses basic vocabulary throughout, such as 'look in to the issue' and 'matching price'. While the meaning is generally clear, there is little attempt to use less common or more sophisticated lexical items. To improve, the student should focus on collocations and more formal business terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with articles ('the Jacket'), verb tenses ('I have purchased' instead of 'I purchased'), and sentence structure ('when I communicated with store employee said item cannot be returned'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with missing commas and incorrect capitalization. The range of structures is limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be distracting and indicate a lack of control over complex grammatical forms.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.