Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 write to you with the intent of apprising you of an issue that has, of late, become a source of inconvenience to me. Apparently, I purchased a blue denim jacket worth CAD 200 from the Zara brand on Wednesday. I noticed while putting my phone in the pocket that it is ripped from the inside, as it fell on the floor.

At first, the next day went to the store to exchange that jacket for another one, but the sales associate refused to replace it. As I spent a lot of money on it, and this is already a damaged product. Although I have shown him my receipt, he talked to me in an inappropriate tone, which was so disrespectful.

I seek your firm support in this matter and would request you to kindly ascertain the associates' behaviour, as well as the replacement of the jacket.

I look forward to your proactive support and prompt action.

Yours faithfully,

Amy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: describing the defect, explaining the failed return attempt, and stating the desired outcome. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint, although the opening is slightly overly formal and wordy. The ideas are clearly presented, and the purpose of the letter is immediately obvious to the reader. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific details about the jacket's damage or the store location to make the scenario feel more authentic and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purchase to the problem, the interaction with staff, and finally the requested resolution. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate these distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'At first,' 'Although,' and 'as well as' are used to link sentences. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Overall, the information is easy to follow, and the structure is clear.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a good range of vocabulary, using phrases like 'apprising you of an issue' and 'proactive support.' There are some minor collocation issues, such as 'as it fell on the floor' (which is slightly ambiguous regarding the rip) and 'ascertain the associates' behaviour' (where 'investigate' or 'address' would be more natural). Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message clearly and with a formal tone appropriate for a letter to a manager.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'the next day went to the store' (missing subject 'I') and 'this is already a damaged product' (which is a sentence fragment). The use of 'as' as a conjunction is frequent, which slightly limits the variety of complex structures. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the punctuation is generally accurate throughout the text.

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

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