Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-17

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 6.0)

Dear Sir

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to inform you about the jacket that i recently bought from your store. A week ago, i bought a black coloured jacket from your store but when i arrived home i found the jacket damaged. No doubt, the jacket is awesome but the only problem is that the jacket is ripped from the under arm area. Moreover, after one day I went your shop and ask for return but your employees denied to return the money. Even, i told them to replace the jacket with new one but they said we will not do anything now.

I really appreciate if you look forward to my matter as the jacket cost me around 200 dollars which is expensive for me. I will be very happy sir if you replace the defective jacket with the new one.

Best regards

Sakshi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: the problem is described (ripped underarm), the interaction with staff is explained, and a clear request for a replacement is made. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, though it could be more professional. The ideas are relevant and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific details, such as the date of purchase or the receipt number, to make the complaint more formal and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical sections, moving from the purchase to the problem, the store's response, and finally the desired resolution. Paragraphing is present, though the structure is quite simple. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'Even', but the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the description of the damage and the store visit could be smoother. Overall, the message is easy to follow, but more varied linking words would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use basic terms like 'awesome', 'shop', and 'expensive'. While these communicate your meaning effectively, they are not particularly sophisticated. There are some minor collocation issues, such as 'ask for return' (should be 'ask for a refund' or 'request a return') and 'look forward to my matter' (should be 'look into this matter'). To improve, try to incorporate more formal business terminology appropriate for a letter of complaint.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. For example, 'i' is not capitalized, 'black coloured' is slightly awkward, and 'your employees denied to return' should be 'refused to provide a refund'. There are also issues with articles ('the jacket with new one' should be 'a new one'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent capitalization.

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

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