Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-27

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,

I am writing to officially inform you of my unfortunate experience with regards to my last purchase in your store, and also suggest a possible remedy to that.

Apparently, I have been your regular customer since 2020 to the extent that most of my clothings are gotten from Maldini shop. Over the years, we have been in a cordial relationship but on 23rd of April 2026, things changed.

Firstly, I paid for a pair of jacket and on reaching home, I discovered that one of the pockets was torn. Moreover, the seal has been tampered. Immediately I noticed it, I returned it to the shop but the staff was not professional at me despite that I have the invoice attached with it. They insisted that purchased goods cannot be returned irrespective of any reason.

However, I would want you to examine the incident carefully, and come up with a reasonable idea so both of us can sort our differences amicably.

Thanks as i anticipate a positive response from you.

Yours faithfully

Eke Arinze.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the task instructions. You successfully describe the problem with the jacket by stating that 'one of the pockets was torn' and 'the seal has been tampered.' You also clearly explain what happened when you tried to return it, noting that the staff was unhelpful and insisted that purchased goods could not be returned. Finally, you state what you would like the manager to do, asking him to 'examine the incident carefully' and 'come up with a reasonable idea.' The tone is appropriately formal for a complaint letter to a store manager. All parts of the prompt are addressed clearly, and the purpose of the letter is well-maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. It opens with an appropriate salutation and statement of purpose, moves into the background and the specific incident, and concludes with a call to action and a proper sign-off. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate the introduction, background, the core incident, and the resolution. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly,' 'Moreover,' and 'However' are employed to guide the reader through the sequence of events. While referencing is generally clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, but overall the logical flow is easy to follow and meets the requirements for a Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task with some attempts at less common phrasing, such as 'cordial relationship,' 'unfortunate experience,' and 'amicably.' However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, writing 'a pair of jacket' is incorrect, as jackets are singular items, and 'clothings are gotten' is unnatural compared to 'clothes are bought' or 'purchased.' Similarly, 'the staff was not professional at me' contains a preposition error. Despite these occasional vocabulary and collocation errors, your meaning remains clear and communication is not impeded, placing your lexical performance firmly at a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses like 'despite that I have the invoice attached with it' and 'when you got home' (implied in the task context). There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the seal has been tampered' (missing a preposition like 'with') and 'Thanks as i anticipate' (capitalisation and phrasing slip). Punctuation is generally fine, and these errors do not impede communication. Because you successfully produce a mix of sentence types with control over basic structures despite minor errors, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.

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

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