Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-13

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 7.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my inconvenience due to a pair of headphones which I purchased from your company to use for my work from home job.

Recently on July 5 I have purchased a pair of headphone from your official website and the serial number is XYZ123B. In first few weeks it did work perfectly fine but later on there were several issues with the headphones. Firstly, the battery life gets drained very quickly, due to that I have to charge frequently. In addition, the noise cancellation feature is not working properly which is concerning for me at this point.

Having this two major problems I am facing significant problems during my work. As the noise cancellation feature is not working properly, my clients are facing disturbance by extra noise as well as battery gets drained quickly I need to keep it plug in while using it.

I would kindly request for a replacement or a complete refund as this device is causing me problem while working.

I am looking forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the task. You clearly describe the technical issues with the headphones, explain the negative impact on your professional work, and state your desired outcome (replacement or refund). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail regarding the specific nature of your work to make the impact more vivid, but overall, the task requirements are fully met with a clear and consistent purpose throughout the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition', and 'As' to link your ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion. For instance, the connection between the battery issue and the need to keep the device plugged in could be integrated more fluidly. Paragraphing is used correctly to separate the problem description from the impact and the request for action.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'official website', 'serial number', and 'prompt response'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'I am writing to express my inconvenience' (inconvenience is usually something you experience, not something you express) and 'Having this two major problems' (should be 'these'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the variety and precision of less common lexical items that would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'In first few weeks it did work' (missing 'the'), 'my clients are facing disturbance by extra noise' (should be 'disturbed by'), and 'battery gets drained' (missing an article). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy would also help improve your score in this criterion.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.