Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-12

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 sir,

I'm writing this letter to draw your attention to the problem I'm facing curruntly in returning the jacket that I bought it from your store recently. When I get home and wanted to show it to my family as I bought it for special occasion, when i try it on it was damaged from back.

Yeasterday, I came to the store in hope to return it or exchange it, but the staff was skeptical about the return, I was told that it is not possible to return the item as it was on fianl sell. I was devastated as it is expensive. Then staff suggested me to rerach out to the manager, as in special cases you may help .

I request you to look into this matter and help this return possible and or exchange it for something else at your earliest convenieance.

looking forward to listening from you.

Kind Regards

Sweta.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: the jacket is damaged at the back, the store refused a return because it was a final sale, and you ask the manager to arrange a return or exchange. The purpose is clear, and mentioning that the jacket was for a special occasion and was expensive helps explain your concern. However, the description of the damage and the events is brief, and the requested remedy is not fully specified—for example, you could ask for a refund or exchange and explain what outcome you prefer. The letter therefore covers the task, but some points are less developed. A little more detail and a more precise request would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter follows a sensible order: you introduce the problem, describe the visit to the store, and finish with a request. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and expressions such as “Yesterday” and “Then” guide the reader through events. Some links are less smooth, however. The opening sentence is crowded, and the sequence beginning “When I get home…” is difficult to follow because several actions are joined together. The final request also combines alternatives without making the preferred outcome clear. Use shorter, more focused sentences and clearer transitions between the purchase, discovery, and return attempt. This would make the overall progression easier to follow and reduce moments where cohesion feels mechanical or unclear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main issue, including “damaged,” “return,” “exchange,” “expensive,” and “special occasion.” There are also attempts at more formal expressions, such as “draw your attention” and “look into this matter.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “curruntly,” “fianl sell,” and “convenieance,” and some phrases are not natural in this context: “staff was skeptical about the return” and “listening from you.” These choices can make the letter less fluent and occasionally slow the reader. Check spelling carefully and learn common customer-service collocations, such as “final sale,” “process a refund,” and “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, but control is uneven, especially when describing events. For example, “When I get home and wanted to show it to my family… when i try it on it was damaged” shifts tense and joins clauses in a way that makes the sequence difficult to understand. In “the jacket that I bought it from your store,” the relative clause contains an unnecessary “it,” while “Then staff suggested me” needs a different grammatical pattern. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent. These errors sometimes make the reader work to interpret the message, although the overall meaning remains recoverable. Practise past-tense narration and sentence boundaries, and proofread for complete, correctly connected clauses.

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

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