Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-30

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 Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my concern related to the latest purchase which I did last week from your store.

I bought a winter jacket later at home when I tried to wear it, I found that the jacket has a big brown strain on the right sleeve. I did not notice that while I was buying it because at the checkout the staff checked the item before packing. Therefore, I just totally rely on the staff.

I went yesterday to the store to return the product but your employee told me that the item cannot be returned. Even though, I showed the purchase receipt, staff totally denied to return it.

I would like to return the jacket and either refund or exchange the item. This is a big inconvenience. I would appreciate it if you could address this issue at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the prompt response from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Alex Ross

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly describe the problem (a brown stain on the sleeve), explain the interaction with the staff, and state your desired outcome (refund or exchange). The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. To improve, you could provide more specific details about the purchase, such as the date or the specific store location, to make the letter feel more authentic and professional. Overall, the task is fully addressed with a clear purpose throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Therefore' and 'Even though', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, although the sentence 'I bought a winter jacket later at home' is slightly confusing due to the lack of punctuation. Improving the flow between sentences by using a wider variety of linking words would help elevate the score further.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message effectively. Phrases like 'earliest convenience' and 'prompt response' are appropriate for formal correspondence. However, there are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'strain' instead of 'stain' and 'totally rely' instead of 'relied'. Additionally, 'the latest purchase which I did' is slightly unnatural; 'the purchase I made' would be more idiomatic. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations would enhance the professional tone of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I bought a winter jacket later at home when I tried to wear it' (a run-on sentence) and 'staff totally denied to return it' (should be 'refused to accept the return'). There are also minor issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. To reach a higher band, focus on reducing these frequent errors and ensuring that complex sentences are punctuated correctly to avoid run-on structures.

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

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