Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-07

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter to complaint about the product, which i recently bought from your brand.

I purchased the puffer jacket last week for $215 price rate without any discount available, on monday evenings from your store. It is red in colour with medium size. I was really excited with this new edition clothes, but my expectations turns into sadness when i went back to home and checked, that it was torn from inside and zipper got more volatile when i tried to open it.

However, i went back to the store from where i purchased this one, unfortunately, they refuse to accept it back as they found that stock was shifted to the discount area.

I would like to kindly inform you that i was't informed about this earlier and request you, if you could please check situation under your consideration and transfer the full refund to me as actual price, that would be a great help.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I will look forward to your response.

Kind regards,

Navneet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points and maintains a clear, polite request throughout. You describe the jacket as a red, medium-sized puffer, explain that it was torn inside and that the zipper became difficult to use, and report that the store refused the return because the stock had been moved to the discount area. Your request for a full refund is also explicit. These details make the complaint relevant and sufficiently developed. To strengthen the response further, clarify the store’s explanation and why it does not resolve your complaint—for example, state that the jacket was defective when purchased and that you were not told it was discounted or non-returnable. This would make the reasoning behind your request more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear sequence: you introduce the complaint, describe the purchase and damage, explain the attempted return, and then state the remedy you want. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and transitions such as “However” and “I would like to kindly inform you” guide the reader through the letter. The closing is also appropriate. Some links between details could be clearer: the sentence about the stock being moved to the discount area does not explain how this relates to the refusal, so the reader must infer the store’s reasoning. The purchase details also interrupt the description slightly. A more direct progression, with the damage and the store’s explanation connected explicitly, would make the organisation even more effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “puffer jacket,” “torn,” “zipper,” “full refund,” and “consideration.” These choices communicate the main problem and desired outcome. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural expressions that limit precision, such as “to complaint,” “price rate,” “new edition clothes,” and “zipper got more volatile.” “Transfer the full refund to me as actual price” is also awkward for this context. Aim for standard complaint-letter collocations and more precise descriptions, such as “make a complaint,” “purchase price,” “new jacket,” and “the zipper became stuck.” This would make your vocabulary sound more natural and professional while preserving your clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast in “I was really excited … but my expectations turns into sadness” and the conditional request beginning “if you could please check.” The overall message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “my expectations turns” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “when i went back to home and checked, that it was torn” has problems with the clause structure and punctuation. The lowercase “i” and “monday” also show inconsistent capitalisation. Review agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, and simplify clauses when needed: “When I got home, I noticed that the jacket was torn inside.” More consistently accurate sentences would improve control.

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

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