Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-09

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 Manager,

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment about the damaged product i bought from your store.

At first, i would like to give details of the defect in the jacket which i bought two days back from your store located at Brampton Central. I had prchased a leather jacket black in color from the fifth counter of the fashion store for women after trying the same. However, at the billing counter i was informed that the product seems to be having a dirt print on it, therefore a fresh product of same size and description will be packed. So, i never got the chance to try the new piece at the time of purchase.

However, once i reached back my home i thought to show it to my husband by weraing it for him, i came to knwo that the zip of the jacket was faulty. Though i tried to fix it on my own but it was not possible, so i immediately went back to the store to look into this issue. To my surprise they denied to return the item stating that the store does not have any policy to return products once they are billed and taken out from the store by the customers.

Therefore, i would like you to look into this matter as i am a regular customer of this shop and have never faced such service difficulty earlier. I am surprised that the fresh product was given as per the facts stated above by the dealing of the store only and i had approached the store within 1 hour of purchase only. So, kindly consider my request to exchange the item as the respective defect has not been caused due to the customer's fault at all and this issue needs to be resolved, ootherwise i will avail my legal remedy.

Lookinf forward to positive consideration from your side!

Your's Faithfully,

Jessica Williams.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three required points: you describe the faulty zip, explain that staff refused the return because of the store’s policy, and clearly request an exchange. The account is specific, with details such as buying the jacket two days earlier and returning within an hour, which supports your complaint. Your position remains clear and appropriately firm, including the reference to seeking a legal remedy. To strengthen the response further, make the requested action and the basis for it more direct and concise; some background about the replacement jacket and the purchase process takes space without fully clarifying why the store should resolve the issue. Overall, the task is covered well, with room to make the supporting explanation more focused and polished.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a recognisable progression: it introduces the complaint, describes the purchase and defect, recounts the attempted return, and ends with a request. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and connectors such as “However,” “Therefore,” and “To my surprise” guide the reader. However, some transitions are repetitive or do not express the relationship precisely: “However” begins two successive stages, while “Therefore” introduces a request after a long sentence containing several separate points. The sequence within the purchase explanation is also somewhat difficult to follow. Use clearer paragraph breaks and simpler links between events, and ensure pronouns such as “it” have an unmistakable reference. This would make the progression more consistently smooth.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of vocabulary relevant to a formal complaint, including “defect,” “faulty,” “exchange,” and “legal remedy,” and the reader can understand the main issue. However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “dirt print,” “show it to my husband by wearing it for him,” and “positive consideration from your side.” Spelling errors, including “prchased,” “weraing,” “knwo,” and “Lookinf,” also reduce accuracy and polish. Some phrases are unnecessarily elaborate, for example “the respective defect has not been caused due to the customer's fault.” Aim for standard, direct complaint-letter language and check spelling carefully; this will make your vocabulary more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “though,” “once,” and “as,” and most of the message remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly in articles, prepositions, and sentence construction. For example, “a leather jacket black in color” needs a more natural adjective order, and “reached back my home” uses an incorrect preposition pattern. The long sentence beginning “So, kindly consider my request” joins several ideas and becomes difficult to control; the comma before “otherwise” should be replaced with stronger punctuation or a conjunction. The closing “Your's Faithfully” also has punctuation and capitalization problems. Review article use and sentence boundaries, while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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