Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-13

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 to express my formal dissatisfaction with the jacket I purchased from your store, it was on 9th July and invoice number is 29485.

To provide some specific context, I placed an pickup order for the jacket from your store. As I am your regular customer so I did not check the product before picking up. However, when I came home and tried, the chain of the jacket was totally damaged and it was not in working condition.

Regarding the return, when I shown the product to one of your employees, they declined to take the return or exchange of the jacket. Additionally, I also requested to the incharge supervisor and explain the scenario.

In light of these circumstances, I would suggest that you refund the amount I paid for the jacket. Also, you should check your merchandise regularly so that customers can be relexed while shopping at your store.

I hope you will consider till matter seriously, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Anshu Patel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly described the problem with the jacket stating that the chain was totally damaged. You also explained what happened when you tried to return it by mentioning that an employee and the supervisor declined the return. Finally, you clearly stated what you would like the manager to do by requesting a refund and advising them to check their merchandise regularly. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. Your ideas are relevant and well-developed, fully meeting the requirements of a General Training Task 1 response. This performance aligns comfortably with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Your letter has a clear logical organisation and a natural progression throughout. You made good use of paragraphing to separate the introduction, the description of the problem, the return attempt, your desired outcome, and your closing remarks. Cohesive devices such as 'To provide some specific context', 'However', 'Regarding the return', and 'In light of these circumstances' are used effectively to guide the reader through the letter, although some phrasing is slightly mechanical. Overall, the message flows well and is easy to follow, justifying a solid band 6.5 or 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a formal complaint letter, using phrases like 'formal dissatisfaction', 'specific context', and 'in light of these circumstances'. However, there are a few lexical and collocational inaccuracies, such as writing 'placed an pickup order' instead of 'placed a pickup order', 'when I shown the product' instead of 'when I showed the product', and 'relexed' instead of 'relaxed'. Despite these minor errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your message clearly and meets the requirements for a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures throughout the letter, such as conditional and subordinate clauses ('As I am your regular customer so I did not check...'). However, there are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including a comma splice in the first paragraph ('...from your store, it was on 9th July...'), a redundant 'so' in your second paragraph ('As I am your customer so...'), and an error in verb tense ('when I shown'). Punctuation also needs slight refinement. Because these errors do not impede communication, a Band 6 is awarded.

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

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