Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I am writing a letter to complain as a disgruntled customer about my recent purchase from your store but it was damaged as I intended to return that item your staff denied and said it cannot be returned.

On 18th septmber, friday I went to your store and bought a very nice purple coloured jacket embedded with silver accesories and buttons but it tored from the under arm side as it was beneath the shoulders, I missed it and it was notifying by me when i reached home.

Next day, when I reached again to your store for return the jacket and asking for exchange, he refused as he said sorry but retun the item is not under in our policy and we did not offer refund.

My humble request is that I would like to get a another one instead of refund so that tell to your merchandise to take back as it was faulty

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all bullet points required by the task: the problem with the jacket is described (tored from the under arm side), the store's reaction is explained (staff refused to return or exchange it), and the desired outcome is stated (would like to get a another one). However, the tone is inconsistent for a formal complaint letter, and the purpose is somewhat muddled in the opening sentence. The ideas are relevant and generally sufficient to meet the requirements of Band 6.0, as the response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt despite some under-development and awkward framing of the details.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter displays a basic level of coherence with an overall logical arrangement, though the progression is strained by run-on sentences and poor punctuation. For instance, the first paragraph is a single lengthy sentence containing multiple ideas without adequate separating punctuation. Paragraphing is attempted, but transitions between sentences are mechanical or missing entirely (e.g., jumping from the description of the defect straight into the store's policy without smooth linking). Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the ambiguous pronoun use in 'he refused as he said sorry'. Overall, these features align with the descriptors for Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, featuring some relevant terms like 'disgruntled customer', 'merchandise', 'exchange', and 'refund'. However, there are noticeable word-choice errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'tored' instead of 'torn', 'accesories' instead of 'accessories', and 'retun' instead of 'return'. The phrase 'it was notifying by me' is unnatural and inaccurate. While the student attempts less common vocabulary, the errors in spelling and collocation occasionally cause minor difficulty for the reader, placing this response firmly in the Band 5.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. Many sentences are overly long, unpunctuated run-on structures, such as the opening sentence and the second paragraph. There are frequent grammatical errors, including tense and voice inconsistencies ('was notifying by me', 'to return the jacket and asking for exchange', 'to get a another one'). These frequent errors and the lack of proper sentence boundary punctuation cause difficulty for the reader and reflect the characteristics of a Band 5.0 performance.

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

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