Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-21

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)

Dear sir,

I am writing this letter to I have recently purchased a jacket from your store, but it was Small in size.

Furthermore, when I tried to return it, the salesperson did a wrong behaviour with me and I refused me to return it.

I would like to you please compensate me if It is possible. I hope you will understand this situation. It would be of great help.

Thank you for your understanding

Kind regards,

Surinder Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 79 words. Regarding the bullet points, the student mentions that the jacket was "Small in size" rather than damaged as specified in the prompt, and states that the salesperson "did a wrong behaviour" and refused the return. Finally, the student asks for compensation. Because the response is significantly under-length and misinterprets the prompt's condition regarding the damage, the task has only been addressed minimally. In accordance with official descriptors for under-length responses, a low band score must be applied.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The letter uses basic paragraphing with single-sentence lines, which makes the text look disjointed rather than logically developed. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes awkward, such as starting a sentence with "Furthermore, when I tried to return it..." while misconnecting ideas. There is a lack of overall progression due to the brevity of the writing. While the intent of each short section is understandable, the overall organisation remains rudimentary and lacks cohesive control.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. Phrases like "wrong behaviour" and "refused me to return it" show significant limitations in word choice and collocation. The word "Small" is unnecessarily capitalised. While the writer attempts to convey simple ideas, the lexical resource is restricted and contains noticeable errors in collocation and phrasing, such as "I would like to you please compensate me", which restricts communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical structures are extremely limited. The text contains noticeable and basic grammatical errors, such as "I am writing this letter to I have recently purchased", which creates a severe structural breakdown. Other errors include "refused me to return it" and "I would like to you please compensate me". There is a complete lack of accurate complex structures, and the high frequency of grammatical mistakes impairs the clarity of the message throughout.

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

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