Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-23

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 5.5)

Dear Sir/Ma,

I am writing this letter in regard to the disapproval to accept the damage suit jacket I bought from your store on last Tuesday, 21 August to be précised.

It is a navy blue with a white-collar jacket. It was when I got home, I realized the collar has been torn at upper side and also, one of the button s is not well fixed.

Immediately I noticed the impairment, I took it down to your shop, the sales representative refused to accept it from me. She told me rudely that the company do not accept returned cloths.

I would appreciate if the manager in charge can look into this matter urgently because I want to wear the Jacket to my sister's wedding next week.

Thanks,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: the problem is described, the interaction with the staff is explained, and the desired outcome is stated. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint, but the lack of length prevents a full development of the situation, leading to a somewhat abrupt conclusion. To improve, you should expand on the details of the jacket's damage and provide a more formal closing statement to ensure the word count is met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and mechanical. For instance, the transition between the description of the jacket and the interaction with the staff could be smoother. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the overall flow is hindered by the brevity of the text. Using a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'nevertheless') would help improve the logical progression between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are some awkward collocations, such as 'disapproval to accept' instead of 'refusal to accept' and 'damage suit jacket' instead of 'damaged suit jacket'. The use of 'impairment' is slightly unnatural in this context; 'defect' or 'fault' would be more appropriate. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there are minor errors in word choice that prevent a higher score. Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and formal business terminology would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'on last Tuesday' (incorrect preposition), 'one of the button s' (incorrect pluralization and spacing), and 'the company do not accept' (subject-verb agreement error). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and pluralization, and try to incorporate more complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.