Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-09

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/madam,

I hope life treats you well. I am writing this letter to express disappointment about the jacket that I bought from your store.

Last Sunday, I bought a jacket from your store. It was a brown leather jacket. To be very honest, when I bought this, I did not check it properly and did not wear it. When I reached home, I showed this jacket to my mother, and then she noticed that it was torn from the inside. Moreover, the zip was not working properly.

The next day, I went to your store and requested your employee to return it. But he refused me and did not take it back. He asked me they are not responsible for things which are sold out.

I have a humble request to you: please replace it or refund my money. It is a very costly jacket.

Thank you

Gurpreet kaur

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, and stating the desired outcome. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation of the store employee's refusal could be more detailed to better reflect the frustration of the situation. While the task is fully addressed, the response lacks the depth and sophistication required for a higher band score. The structure is clear, and the purpose of the letter is immediately apparent to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph addressing a specific part of the prompt. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the purchase to the discovery of the fault, the interaction at the store, and finally the requested resolution. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. There is a reliance on simple transitions like 'Moreover' and 'The next day'. To improve, you could use a wider variety of linking words and phrases to create a smoother flow between sentences and ideas. Paragraphing is used correctly to separate the different stages of the narrative.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. Phrases like 'I hope life treats you well' are a bit informal and unusual for a formal complaint letter. You use some relevant terms such as 'merchandise' (implied context), 'replace', and 'refund', but there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise vocabulary. For example, instead of saying 'it was torn', you could use 'defective' or 'substandard'. The word choice is generally accurate, but it does not demonstrate a wide range of vocabulary that would allow for more nuanced expression.

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 some grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'He asked me they are not responsible' should be 'He told me that they were not responsible'. Additionally, 'I hope life treats you well' is slightly awkward in this context; a standard opening like 'I am writing to complain about...' is more appropriate. Punctuation is generally correct, but the overall control of complex structures is limited. The majority of sentences are simple, which restricts the range of grammatical forms demonstrated.

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

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