Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-07

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 5.5)

Dear SIr or Madam,

I am writing this letter to register complaint regarding my last purchase at your retail store.

I purchased white jacket of polo brand with black stripes on 28th July at 1 : 00 p.m at your shop which is situated on Ludhiana - Ferozpur road. It was packed in white plastic bag. One of your employee showed me the similar design in different colours by opening those packages. Finally, i decided to purchase that wrapped white coloured jacket. When i reached home, i opened this plastic bag with enthusiasm to show it my sister. Suddenly, i was shocked when i saw it's pocket was completely torned.

To return this, i went to your store yesterday around 3.00 p.m. I had my online payment receipt with me. But, your employee Sikha, refused to have this article. She said that this damage could happen at my home. Moreover, she talked very rudely to me without listening my proper explanation.

It was quite awful experience for me. I request you to please issue the refund for this article or offer me the exchange policy. I am your regular customer and i had this experience for the first time. Apart from this, could you please explain the customer service etiquettes to your employees so that they will respect and listen the customer's complaints with patience and perseverance.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Yours faithfully,

Ramandeep Kaur.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the task effectively. You described the jacket's defect, explained the interaction with the store employee, and clearly stated your desired outcome (refund or exchange). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, ensure that all details are presented with greater precision; for example, the request for 'exchange policy' could be phrased more naturally as a request for an exchange.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which aids readability. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Finally', 'Moreover', and 'Apart from this' to link your ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that transitions between sentences are smoother. Some sentences feel slightly disconnected, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'register complaint', 'merchandise', and 'etiquettes'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'refused to have this article' (should be 'refused to accept this item') and 'talked very rudely' (should be 'spoke very rudely'). Additionally, there are minor errors like 'torned' (which is not a word; the past participle is 'torn'). Expanding your range of collocations and ensuring correct word forms would help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a white jacket', 'the pocket') and verb forms ('it's pocket was completely torned'). There are also minor punctuation and capitalization issues, such as 'i' instead of 'I' and inconsistent spacing around punctuation marks. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent use of articles will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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