Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-27

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 sir,

I am writing you letter in connect to my jacket which I bought two weeks ago, i wanted to know whether it could be returend or not.

Visiting at your shop is my fortunute because I like fabric of your store and it works for long time, but last time I purchased a jacket and I was glad as I wanted I get the clothes according to the design and colour. Furthermore, when i came back to the home i saw big whole in my jacket at the back side, it was inside of fabric. I was stressed about it, It was expensive and favourite.

I decided to return it back and get another one then the sales boy said they could not return it back according the store policy, it was shoking statement for me because I bought expesive clothes, I also requested them to exchange but they refused my request.

I would be glad if you can exchange and give another one, i also want to make request regarding your policy that you should change the policy of store, you should exchange the clothes if any clothes have any damage.

Thank you for your time and considerations.

With regards

Ramandeep kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three required points: you describe a “big whole” at the back of the jacket, explain that the sales assistant refused a return and exchange, and ask the manager to provide a replacement and reconsider the policy. The purpose is clear throughout, and the details about the jacket being expensive and your disappointment help explain your complaint. Some parts are less fully developed: the opening asks whether the jacket can be returned, although you have already tried, and the request to change the store’s general policy is broad. To strengthen the letter, state the specific remedy you expect—such as an exchange or refund—and briefly explain that the damage was present when you discovered it at home.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, moving from the reason for writing to the jacket’s condition, the attempted return, and your requested action. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and connectors such as “Furthermore” and “I decided” make the sequence understandable. However, some links are mechanical or unclear: “Visiting at your shop is my fortunute” interrupts the complaint’s progression, while “then” joins the return attempt and the assistant’s response awkwardly. The opening and closing also do not quite match the requested formal letter style. Use clearer transitions that show cause and result, and keep each paragraph focused on one stage of the complaint to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the complaint, including “jacket,” “fabric,” “exchange,” “store policy,” and “damaged” (though you describe the damage as a “whole”). There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “shocking statement” and “expensive and favourite.” However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors sometimes make the message less natural or require the reader to interpret your meaning: “returend,” “fortunute,” “shoking,” and “expesive” are examples. Several phrases are also awkward, including “return it back” and “fabric of your store.” Build accuracy with common complaint-letter collocations and check spelling carefully; this will make your vocabulary more precise without needing unusually advanced words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, for example, “I decided to return it back and get another one then the sales boy said…” This shows an effort to connect events, and the main message remains understandable. However, errors occur across sentence construction, tense, articles, and punctuation. Examples include “I am writing you letter,” “when i came back to the home i saw,” and the run-on sentence joining the return attempt to the assistant’s refusal. Capitalisation of “I” is also inconsistent, and the final request contains an awkward structure: “I would be glad if you can exchange and give another one.” Practise accurate sentence boundaries and standard conditional forms, such as “I would be grateful if you could exchange it for another jacket.”

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

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