Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-01

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 about the issue that I faced in your store. I recently bought this jacket from your store which is located at Ridge View Area. I got this jacket a gift for my mother to give it on her birthday. But, the moment I reached home it was damaged, all the insides were torn out. Though it was in a good condition at the store.

I tried to return it the store the next day but the employees at the store straight up said that this jacket was not bought at this said location, even after showing them my receipts and order number.

I would really appreciate if the Manager of the store take some action against those rude employees and offer store credit and refund after verification of all the items purchased. I hope you would look into this matter as I will be awaiting for your reply.

Your's Sincerly

Anna

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing the damage, explaining the interaction with staff, and stating the desired resolution. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the description of the damage ('all the insides were torn out') is a bit vague, and the explanation of the return process could be more detailed to better convey the frustration of the experience. To reach a higher band, you should expand slightly on the impact of the issue or provide more specific details about the store interaction to fully develop the narrative.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into three distinct paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of events. Each paragraph has a clear focus. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'I tried to return it' and 'I would really appreciate' are functional but lack variety. Additionally, the transition between the description of the jacket and the store visit is a bit abrupt. Using more sophisticated linking words or phrases (e.g., 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', 'Despite this') would improve the flow and help connect your ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task and conveys the message clearly. You use some relevant terms such as 'merchandise', 'receipts', and 'verification'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'I got this jacket a gift' (should be 'as a gift') and 'at this said location' (which is slightly unnatural). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to retail and customer service, such as 'defective item', 'proof of purchase', or 'full refund'. The spelling is generally accurate, though 'Sincerly' is a common error.

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 that persist. For instance, 'I got this jacket a gift' is missing a preposition, and 'I will be awaiting for your reply' contains an unnecessary preposition ('awaiting' does not take 'for'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in capitalization (e.g., 'sir or Madam') and the closing salutation ('Your's Sincerly'). To move up, focus on eliminating these small errors and increasing the variety of complex sentence structures, such as using conditional clauses (e.g., 'If you could resolve this, I would be grateful').

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

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