Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You work at home and have a problem with a piece of equipment that you use for your job.

Write a letter to the shop or company which supplied the equipment. In your letter

• describe the problem with the equipment
• explain how this problem is affecting your work
• say what you want the shop or company 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 hope you are doing well.

I am writing this mail to complain about a defective piece of equipment that I recently purchased from your shop. I purchased a pen drive, which worked smoothly in the initial period. However, now it started to hang the system within just 10 minutes of activation.

I am a group manager in my company. Therefore, I have to handle many projects at same time. From past 2 weeks it is taking extra time to run a simple work with this malfunctioning equipment and this is causing me to work extra hours.

The pen drive is still in guaranty period, so I wants you to give me the newer one in the exchange. I would also suggest you to send this malfunctioning unit to the company along with the list of problems it had created. This way you do not have face any financial challenge by your self.

Thank you so much for your understanding.

Best Regards,

Riya

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: the problem is described, the impact on work is explained, and a clear request for a replacement is made. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the suggestion to send the unit back to the manufacturer is a bit unusual for a standard retail exchange process and could have been more professionally phrased. Overall, the response covers the requirements well, but could benefit from more sophisticated detail regarding the specific technical issues to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different points of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Therefore', and 'In the initial period' are used to link ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is clear, and the reader can easily follow the sequence of events from the purchase to the current request for a replacement. The overall structure is sound and supports the purpose of the letter effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their message clearly. Phrases like 'defective piece of equipment', 'malfunctioning', and 'financial challenge' show a decent range. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'hang the system' (which should be 'cause the system to crash') and 'in the exchange' (which should simply be 'as a replacement'). The vocabulary is functional but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score. It is sufficient for the task but does not demonstrate a wide range of less common lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'From past 2 weeks it is taking' (should be 'For the past two weeks, it has been taking'), 'I wants you' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'by your self' (should be 'yourself'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the overall meaning of the letter. The writer demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but the control over these is inconsistent. To improve, the writer should focus on subject-verb agreement and correct prepositional usage.

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

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