Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-06

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,

I recently purchased an LG washing machine from your company, located in Wuse 2 Abuja. But not long ago, i noticed that it was not performing optimally, it shuts down automatically within 15 minutes of usage, this have been affecting my laundry business negatively because I am now forced to wash customers clothes manually which is time consuming and energy demanding. I wish to request for a replacement of the faulty machine or a reimbursement.

To start with, I do my business from home and depend on it a great deal to satisfy my clients, I live 2km from your company and after observing the technical challenges, I called your customer care representatives, who asked if I have a valid warrantee and I told him that it have not been up to a month I bought it. the demands from clients is very overwhelming and I barely meet up timeline schedules. please a refund will be appreciated.

However, I am writing to you for an urgent action from your office, so that my business will not suffer because of this issues.

I look forward to hearing from you, as it will be highly appreciated.

Yours faithfully,

Agubo Stanley.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points: the problem is described (shuts down after 15 minutes), the impact on the laundry business is explained, and a clear request for a replacement or refund is made. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter, and the purpose is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is slightly repetitive, particularly in the second paragraph where the mention of the business and client demands overlaps with the first paragraph. To reach a higher band, ensure each paragraph introduces distinct, well-developed information rather than restating the situation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used to separate the problem description from the request for action. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition 'To start with' feels slightly unnatural in this context, and the connection between sentences could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between the second and third paragraphs is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the overall cohesion of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate the situation clearly. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as 'performing optimally' and 'overwhelming'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and word-choice issues, such as 'it have not been up to a month' and 'meet up timeline schedules'. The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and avoiding informal phrasing would improve the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'this have been', 'it have not been') and punctuation (e.g., comma splices like '...not performing optimally, it shuts down...'). There are also issues with capitalization (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I'). These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text, though they do not impede communication. To improve, the writer should focus on basic subject-verb agreement and sentence boundary punctuation.

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

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