Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-22

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 Mam,

I am writing to complain about the jacket, which I recently bought from your store last week. Unfortunately, the jacket was found damaged when I was showing this to my mom.

Although, the zipper of the jacket was working properly at the store, it got stuck midway when I was trying to zip it up completely. Thereafter, I took it the store and asked the customer service representative to return this jacket, but he denied the returned. He stated that the labels of the jacket were removed and it cannot be returned or replaced anymore. Apparently, that was devastating to hear after being a loyal customer of your store.

I would really appreciate if you could help me to return this jacket with full refund. If not so, I would like it to be replaced with the another jacket.

I request you to take this matter seriously and solve this promptly. I hope to hearing from you.

Yours Sincerely,

Ranjit Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing the defect, explaining the failed return attempt, and stating the desired resolution. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. The purpose is clear from the beginning, and the ideas are developed sufficiently to meet the task requirements. The response maintains a consistent focus on the situation throughout, ensuring the reader understands the context and the specific request for a refund or replacement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving from the initial purchase to the problem, the store's response, and finally the requested action. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Thereafter', and 'If not so' are used to link sentences, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, and the overall structure supports the message effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their message clearly. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'denied the returned' (should be 'denied the return') and 'devastating to hear' (which is slightly hyperbolic for a jacket issue). However, the range is sufficient to express the situation, and the meaning is never in doubt. The writer uses appropriate business-related terms like 'customer service representative', 'merchandise', and 'refund'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I hope to hearing from you' (should be 'I hope to hear from you') and 'replaced with the another jacket' (should be 'replaced with another jacket'). Additionally, there is a minor punctuation error in the opening 'Dear Sir or Mam' (should be 'Madam'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, and the writer demonstrates a reasonable level of control over basic sentence construction.

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

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