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 Sir,

I am writing this letter to inform you that i bought a jacket from you store on sunday around 2 p.m. But when i came back to home and checked that it was damaged.

Firstly when i reached home and i tried to wear jacket and saw that it is damaged from the inside. The pocket inside the jacket is damaged and the zip of that pocket was not working as well.

Than i took the jacket and went back to the store, i talked with the supervisor and he said that this is the merchandise item and it cannot be returned. Which made me more sad because i am not expecting this kind of service from your store.

Therefore i would appreciate you if you could replace it with another jacket with same price or if you could returned it back and give my money back.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my request. I look forward hearing from you soon,

Your faithfully,

Lovely.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: describing the damage, explaining the interaction with the supervisor, and stating the desired resolution. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation of the return policy could be more detailed to better reflect the frustration of the situation. While the purpose is clear, the response would benefit from a more professional structure and a more precise description of the jacket's defects to ensure the manager fully understands the issue.

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 mechanical and repetitive. For example, the frequent use of 'when' and 'and' to connect clauses makes the flow feel a bit simplistic. There are also minor issues with referencing, such as the transition 'Than I took the jacket', which should be 'Then'. While the overall progression is clear, the lack of varied linking words prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'made me more sad' are informal and do not accurately convey the professional frustration expected in a formal complaint. There are also some errors in word choice, such as 'merchandise item' instead of 'final sale' or 'non-refundable'. The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or the use of less common lexical items required for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include capitalization errors ('i' instead of 'I'), incorrect verb tenses ('if you could returned it back'), and missing articles ('from you store'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage, particularly when describing past events versus future requests.

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

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