Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Mr. Brown,

I am writing this letter to complaint about the product i bought from your shop. It was jacket and i found that it was damaged from inside as its not stitched properly from underneath shoulders and it cannot be in wearable conditions so i planned to visit the store however later i found, one of the employee rejected that damaged item to receive .Along with this, their behaviour was so rude and have no customer serving skills .Thye refused to take item back by giving reason that our all sales are final. I would prefer if you can refund my money or replace me jacket.So, I can get compensation for my product .Otherwise it would not be suitable for me to reach onsumer court. I will appreciate if you take my concern deliberately and take an action on such kind of incidents happen to customers.

I will look for your comments.

Yours Sincerely,

Tanya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You have successfully covered all three bullet points required by the task prompt. You described the problem with the jacket stating that it was damaged from the inside and poorly stitched around the shoulders. You also explained what happened when you tried to return it, noting that an employee refused the item because sales were final and displayed poor customer service. Finally, you stated what you wanted the manager to do, asking for a refund or a replacement. The purpose of the letter is clear, and the tone is appropriately firm for a complaint letter, although you addressed it to Mr. Brown instead of the required 'Dear Sir or Madam'. Overall, the task requirements are well addressed. This places your performance comfortably at Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your letter has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure from describing the issue to explaining the refusal and finally stating your desired outcome. However, paragraphing is underdeveloped, as the main body of your letter is lumped together into one very long block of text. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or overused, such as starting multiple sentences with 'So' or 'Along with this'. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'take an action on such kind of incidents happen to customers'. While your ideas progress logically and communication is clear, the lack of proper paragraphing and occasional awkward transitions prevent you from reaching a higher band. Therefore, this warrants a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating your meaning regarding the damaged product and poor service. You use some relevant terms such as 'compensation', 'stitched properly', and 'wearable conditions'. However, there are notable word choice and phrasing errors, such as writing 'to complaint' instead of 'to complain', 'Thye' instead of 'They', and 'customer serving skills' instead of 'customer service skills'. You also use informal phrasing in places, and some spelling errors occur. Because your vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey your message despite these inaccuracies, your performance aligns with Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structures. However, your writing contains frequent grammatical errors, incorrect punctuation, and run-on sentences. For example, you wrote 'It was jacket and i found that it was damaged from inside as its not stitched properly...', which lacks articles ('It was a jacket') and contains punctuation and capitalization slips. There are also subject-verb agreement issues and misuse of apostrophes ('its' instead of 'it is'). While these errors do not completely impede communication because the context remains clear, they are noticeable and persistent throughout the text. This level of grammatical control corresponds to a Band 5.5.

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

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