Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-23

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 disapointed with your store service. Recently, I purchased a jacket from your store name of the store is urban planet last week on saturday 22 September. It is in black colour in leather stuff. When I came home then i saw the jacket was torn from neck side also the zipper was not working. I paid 300$ for it . when i visited the store again to return it the merchandise said I can not returned it they would not accept the return policy. I have trhe recepit also i showed them what it looks like they tell me if I have any problem I can return it any time and any cost .

It is my humble request to refund it or changed it . Please can you review this problem also talk with your staff member to speak with custmors.

I hope to hear

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required by the task prompt. You described the problem with the jacket ("torn from neck side also the zipper was not working"), explained what happened when you tried to return it (the merchandise stated merchandise cannot be returned despite previous assurances), and stated what you would like the manager to do ("refund it or changed it"). The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, although some ideas are slightly compressed due to sentence structure limitations. Overall, all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement, but paragraphing is weak and ideas are clumped together without clear paragraph breaks between the introduction, body details, and concluding demands. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes faulty, as seen in run-on sentences like "When I came home then i saw the jacket was torn... I paid 300$ for it . when i visited the store..." Punctuation spacing issues also disrupt the flow of information. While the logical progression of the complaint is clear enough to follow, the lack of effective paragraphing and mechanical cohesion keeps this criterion at a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with common terms such as "disapointed", "purchased", "jacket", and "store". However, there are notable spelling errors ("disapointed", "recepit", "custmors") and awkward collocations, such as "leather stuff" instead of "leather material" or "leather jacket". You attempted some less common phrasing, but limitations in precision and spelling errors prevent a higher score. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points, aligning well with a Band 5.5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several run-on sentences linked improperly with commas or lacking necessary conjunctions, such as "I have trhe recepit also i showed them what it looks like they tell me..." Capitalisation errors (e.g., lowercase "i" and starting sentences without proper capitalization in places) and punctuation spacing mistakes are frequent. While basic meaning is communicated and some structures are correct, the frequency of grammatical and punctuation errors places this at a Band 5.0.

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

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