Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-05

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)

Hello Sir/Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment regarding a jacket that I purchased from your store on 29 July.

When i arrived at home and examined it more carefully, I noticed that it was damaged from one sleeve and zip was not working properly. I did noticed in store properly but it had too much problem.

The following day, when I went to the store with receipt and showed all thing in front of staff, they refused to change it. They said the store does not accept any returns, regardless if found any kind of damage.

As the damage was not obvious in the store, I did not notice it before making the purchase.

I would really appreciate it if could you either replace with other jacket with same size or refund all money. I believe this would be fair solution and help me to maintain trust on customer complain.

I am looking forward your positive response .

Yours faithfully,

Navjot kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: describing the damage, explaining the interaction with staff, and stating the desired outcome. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is slightly limited. For instance, the explanation of the interaction with the staff could be more detailed to better convey the frustration of the situation. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is left in no doubt about the writer's intentions. The response meets all requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different stages of the narrative. Cohesive devices such as 'The following day' and 'As the damage was not obvious' help to guide the reader through the sequence of events. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by minor errors in sentence structure, such as 'showed all thing in front of staff', which slightly affects the smoothness of the progression. Overall, the message is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey the necessary information clearly. Phrases like 'express my disappointment' and 'maintain trust' are well-chosen. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'too much problem' instead of 'several defects' or 'significant issues', and 'showed all thing' instead of 'showed the items'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a limited range of vocabulary that prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'When i arrived at home' (capitalization), 'I did noticed' (incorrect verb form), and 'replace with other jacket' (missing article). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and phrasing issues, such as 'I am looking forward your positive response' (missing 'to'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause confusion for the reader. The writer demonstrates a basic command of grammar, but more attention to verb tenses and articles is needed.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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