Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-27

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 5.0)

Hi sir,

I would like to talk about like yesterday morning I bought a jacket in your store. I was very busy that time because have urgent work at home in that time, so then I cannot try jacket in fitting room. so when I arrived at home after done my all pending work. I weared my jacket. the jacket is fitting is good and it's showing my personality. then saw pocket zip its broken on left hand side. its is very expensive jacket. I was very harted that time because it my favourite jacket. after this this case I urgently check store website and send e mail to store manger I written to him my jacket was damaged can you please change and give me me refund.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the development of the response. While you have attempted to cover the three bullet points—describing the damage, explaining the return attempt, and stating your desired outcome—the ideas are underdeveloped. For instance, you mention the store refused a return, but you do not elaborate on the interaction with the staff or the specific policy mentioned. To improve, you must expand on each point with more detail and ensure the letter meets the length requirement to allow for a full exploration of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks a clear structure and appropriate paragraphing. The text is presented as a single block, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. There is a lack of cohesive devices; sentences are often linked by simple conjunctions like 'and' or 'then', or they are not linked at all, leading to a disjointed flow. To improve, you should organize your letter into distinct paragraphs: one for the introduction, one for the problem, one for the return attempt, and one for the conclusion. Using transition words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'however' will help connect your ideas more logically.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You rely on basic words like 'talk', 'bought', and 'broken'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'weared my jacket' (should be 'wore') and 'very harted' (which is not standard English). The phrasing 'its is very expensive jacket' lacks articles and proper sentence structure. To reach a higher band, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary related to shopping and customer service, such as 'defective', 'policy', 'refund', 'exchange', and 'unsatisfactory'. Focus on using words that accurately describe the situation rather than relying on simple, informal language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the letter that impede communication. You struggle with verb tenses ('I would like to talk about like yesterday morning I bought'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence construction. Many sentences are fragmented or run-on, such as 'the jacket is fitting is good and it's showing my personality.' Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing capital letters and incorrect use of periods. You need to focus on basic sentence structure, specifically ensuring each sentence has a clear subject and verb, and practice using past tense consistently when describing past events.

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

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