Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-21

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 or Madam,

I purchased a jacket in on of your stores a couple of weeks ago and when I arrived home, I surprisingly noticed that there's a big hole on its back. Needless to say that I didn't examine it thoroughly that day because I was so excited to finally find what I have looked for months.

I returned the jacket to the store the following day but unfortunately your salespeople told me it was out of question to take it back. Maybe there was a little misunderstanding there. They might have thought that I want a reimbursement.What I would like, is to choose another model if there exists any . Thank you very much for your time. I hope my letter will be taken into account so that this matter be treated in a timely fashion.

Your faithfully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: describing the damage, explaining the store's refusal, and stating the desired outcome. However, the response is under the 150-word minimum requirement, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While the tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. To improve, you should expand on the details of the damage or the interaction at the store to ensure the letter meets the length requirement and provides a more comprehensive account of the situation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with a clear progression from the purchase to the problem and the requested resolution. Paragraphing is used, although the structure is quite compressed. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Needless to say' and 'unfortunately', but the flow could be improved with more varied linking words. The transition between the refusal of the return and your proposed solution is a bit abrupt. Using more sophisticated transitions would help the letter feel more cohesive and professional.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication. You use some functional phrases like 'timely fashion' and 'taken into account'. However, there are some awkward collocations and minor errors, such as 'in on of your stores' (a typo) and 'out of question' (should be 'out of the question'). The range is somewhat limited, relying on fairly basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to retail and customer service, such as 'defective', 'exchange', or 'store policy'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'what I have looked for' (should be 'what I had been looking for') and the incorrect closing 'Your faithfully' (should be 'Yours faithfully'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there is a missing space after the period in 'reimbursement.What'. While the meaning is clear, the frequency of these minor errors prevents a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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