Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-29

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,

I am writing this letter to complain about a jacket I recently bought from your shop on February 7th. It was a large sized leather jacket in brown camel shade for $95 . The jacket on display was not my size so I asked the staff member for my size. On receiving, I did not check the product properly at that moment, but later when I came back, I found its zip is broken. The front zip is damaged and it is not upto my requirement.

I immediately returned to the shop and asked them to exchange it with another one, but my size was out of stock. Upon asking for a return, your staff refused to do it. This is so inconvenient that your product was damaged and I cannot even get a refund.

For this issue, I request you to return my purchase. I am already disappointed beacuse of your service as you cause customers so much inconvenience. Kindly ask your staff to refund the amount to my credit card with name Muzdalfa Zain and account number (64637#£).

I will be thankful for your cooperation and time.

Yours faithfully,

Muzdalfa Zain

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three required points: it describes the broken front zip, explains that staff could not exchange the jacket because the size was out of stock and refused a return, and clearly requests a refund. The complaint remains focused, and details such as the purchase date and price help establish the situation. Your requested outcome is clear, although the final request could be more fully supported by specifying a reasonable response or timeframe and explaining what evidence of purchase you can provide. The criticism that the service causes customers “so much inconvenience” is somewhat general; a more specific account of the effect on you would make the ideas more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information follows a sensible sequence from purchase, to discovery of the damage, to the attempted return and requested remedy. Paragraphing separates the background from the store’s response and your request, while phrases such as “Upon asking” and “For this issue” help signal progression. This gives the letter a coherent overall arrangement. However, some links feel mechanical or unclear: “when I came back” could mean returning to the shop rather than arriving home, and “For this issue” is an awkward transition into the request. The complaint and refund request also repeat the idea of inconvenience. More precise referencing and smoother transitions would make the progression more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for a formal complaint, including “complain,” “out of stock,” “refused,” “refund,” and “cooperation.” These choices make the purpose and desired outcome clear. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural expressions that limit precision: “large sized” is better expressed as “size large,” “camel shade” is an unusual description, and “not upto my requirement” does not naturally describe a damaged zip. Spelling slips such as “beacuse” and the informal phrasing “This is so inconvenient” also reduce control of written style. Aim for precise product and service vocabulary, and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, for example, “The jacket on display was not my size so I asked the staff member for my size” and the sentence explaining that the size was out of stock. Meaning is generally clear, and the sequence of events is easy to follow. Some grammatical errors remain: “when I came back” is unclear in context, “I found its zip is broken” shifts tense awkwardly, and “your product was damaged and I cannot even get a refund” would be clearer with more controlled clause structure. There are also punctuation and spacing issues, such as the space before the full stop after “$95.” Review tense consistency when narrating past events and proofread sentence boundaries.

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

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