Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-02

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 6.0)

Dear store manager,

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction with both the quality of product and customer service from your store. Recently, I purchased a jacket from your store which not compatible. That is to say, this jacket not only fit on my body but also it buttons and pockets are damaged.

After two days of purchasing, when i tried to wear it, got to know about these damages. On the same day, i came to your store as an intention to return this product after reading the term and condition of return. Unfortunatily, your store associates denied to return this product as she was not on the shift when i bought this product even though i have receipt of this product. The way she talked with me was very unprofessional.

There are two things which i am expecting from your side as your a key role of this store. Firstly, give proper training to your staff in order to upgrade your customer service, Secondly, i want you to take a time and look in to my case and either give me full refund or the store credit so i can buy something else that could be vital for me.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You described the damage to the jacket, explained the interaction with the store associate, and clearly stated your desired outcome. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the description of the damage is brief, and the explanation of the store policy could be more detailed to better justify your request. Despite this, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader is left in no doubt about the situation or your expectations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Firstly' and 'Secondly', to structure your demands. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally hindered by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'That is to say, this jacket not only fit on my body but also it buttons and pockets are damaged.' The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between the problem description and the store visit could be smoother. Overall, the message is easy to follow, but the cohesion is somewhat mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, using terms like 'dissatisfaction', 'merchandise', and 'unprofessional'. However, there are several instances of inaccurate word choice and collocation, such as 'which not compatible' instead of 'which was not in good condition' or 'defective'. Additionally, 'as an intention to return' is unnatural phrasing. While your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the situation, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. You should focus on learning common collocations related to retail and customer service.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently omit articles ('the receipt', 'the store') and struggle with verb tense consistency, such as 'when i tried to wear it, got to know'. There are also errors with subject-verb agreement and pronoun usage, such as 'your a key role' instead of 'you play a key role'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to be noticeable and impact the overall fluency of the writing.

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

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