Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-19

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 dissatisfaction with a recent purchase of a jacket from your store.

I purchased a beautiful black leather jacket from Roots, which costed me near about one hundred dollars. Intially I really liked it, but after arriving at home, I discovered it was damaged. The inner pocket of jacket has torn as well as the zipper is also not working properly.

When I took it back to the store, the sales persons' behaviour was really rude towards me. I kindly asked them to return or exchange it, but they clearly said that it cannot be returned. They were also asking for the evidences that I did not damaged it.

I would really appreciate it if you could do something in this matter. This jacket is quite expensive for me, so I want to exchange it or return it for full refund. I would also like to suggest you that to provide proper training to your employees about how they should behave with valuable cutomers.

I hope you will consider this matter. I am looking forward for a positive response.

Yours faithfully,

Harpreet Sidhu.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have fully covered all three bullet points required in the task prompt. You successfully described the problem with the jacket by mentioning that 'the inner pocket of jacket has torn as well as the zipper is also not working properly.' You explained what happened when you tried to return it, noting that the salesperson's behavior was rude and that they demanded evidence that you did not cause the damage. Finally, you clearly stated what you would like the manager to do, asking for an exchange or a full refund and suggesting employee training. The tone is appropriately formal and polite for a complaint letter, and your purpose is clear throughout the text. Overall, this fulfills all the requirements of a Band 7 performance for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

Your letter is easy to follow and has a clear logical progression from describing the purchase and problem, to recounting the store visit, and finally to stating your expectations. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points, such as the problem, the store incident, and the requested resolution. You used some cohesive devices well, such as 'Intially', 'When', and 'Finally'. However, referencing and transitional links could be smoother in places, such as the sudden shift when discussing employee training. Overall, the organization is clear and coherent, fitting the Band 7 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, including appropriate phrases such as 'express my dissatisfaction,' 'purchase of a jacket,' and 'full refund.' There are some lexical and collocation errors, such as 'costed me near about' (should be 'cost around') and 'evidences' (evidence is an uncountable noun). You also made a minor spelling error with 'Intially' (initially). Despite these minor flaws, your vocabulary is varied enough to convey your message precisely, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You successfully used a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional and relative clauses ('I would really appreciate it if you could...'). There are some grammatical errors present, such as 'costed me' (cost is irregular), 'pocket of jacket' (missing the article 'the'), 'did not damaged it' (should be 'did not damage'), and 'looking forward for' (should be 'looking forward to'). However, these errors do not impede communication, and the majority of your sentences are clear and understandable, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.