Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

hello mam

few days ago i bought a jacket in your store .i really like this jacket that why i bought a jacket but unfortunately when i have reach home and i see that the jacket was damage in both side .and i really feel bed that a good jacket are not to able for my used i am little busy in my study that final today i am free i am deiced to go back this jacket kindly check this jacket and pleas change and if you are return the jacket that good for both pleas mam i am student i am not afford other thing in this store pleas return the jacket and give me money back i will be very thankful to you i hope your are proved my request and pay my cash back because that this is not too late

your customer

Rana Majid Iqbal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. You successfully described the problem by stating that the jacket was damaged on both sides, explained what happened when you tried to return it by mentioning the store's refusal policy and your subsequent visit, and clearly stated what you would like the manager to do by asking for a full refund. However, the tone is quite informal and conversational, such as starting with 'hello mam', which lacks the formal register expected of a business letter to a store manager. Furthermore, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, which places this response solidly in the lower-middle bands.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The letter lacks proper paragraphing, as it is written as a single, continuous block of text, making it visually and structurally difficult to follow. There is a general lack of cohesive devices, and sentences are frequently linked by basic conjunctions like 'and' or run together without punctuation, such as '...when i have reach home and i see that the jacket was damage in both side .and i really feel bed...'. While there is a basic chronological sequence of events, the absence of clear paragraph breaks and a logical organizational structure prevents the text from achieving a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and restricted to simple everyday language. Examples include repeating words like 'jacket', 'store', and 'pleas' multiple times. There are also several noticeable lexical errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'mam' instead of 'Madam', 'damage' instead of 'damaged', 'bed' instead of 'bad', and 'deiced' instead of 'decided'. These limitations and errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted range of vocabulary suitable for a formal complaint.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is severely limited. The text consists mostly of simple sentences strung together or awkward attempts at complex sentences that are consistently faulty. There are persistent and frequent grammatical errors throughout the response, such as tense agreement issues in 'when i have reach home and i see', preposition misuse in 'bought a jacket in your store', and structural errors in 'i am not afford other thing'. Punctuation is also poorly handled, with missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences and improper full stops. These frequent errors cause strain for the reader.

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

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