Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-14

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 am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the equipment that I recently purchased from your store.

I have bought a Samsung laptop for my work. However, I have quite bad experience with this device. There are a number of issues that I have been experiencing. Firstly, it switched off frequently, even after being fully charged. Secondly, a few apps are difficult to use and run effectively through this laptop.

These issues give a considerable inconvenience to my work. Since I am working from home. I require the efficient device to effectively interact with my clients regularly, and as the laptop shut down unexpectedly, it made it challenging for me to provide efficient services to them, which, therefore reduce my productivity and performance. In addition, I do not have effective access to some apps that are essential to my work.

I would be very grateful if you could arrange to this device to be repaired. If this is not possible and practical, I would appreciate if you could replace this equipment as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support and consideration. I look forward to resolving this matter urgently.

Yours faithfully,

Harmeet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly describe the technical issues with the laptop, explain the negative impact on your work-from-home responsibilities, and state your desired outcome (repair or replacement). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more specific details about the 'apps' that are failing, which would further develop your ideas and demonstrate a more sophisticated approach to the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. Each paragraph has a central focus, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'In addition', and 'therefore' to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the connection between sentences is smoother, particularly in the second paragraph where the flow between the impact on your work and the specific technical failures could be more tightly integrated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'express my dissatisfaction', 'unexpectedly', and 'essential to my work' are used correctly. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'quite bad experience' (better: 'a poor experience') and 'give a considerable inconvenience' (better: 'cause considerable inconvenience'). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more precise, topic-specific terminology related to technical support or professional communication would help elevate your score toward the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as the sentence fragment 'Since I am working from home.' and the awkward phrasing 'arrange to this device to be repaired' (should be 'arrange for this device to be repaired'). Additionally, 'I require the efficient device' should be 'I require an efficient device'. While these errors are present, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, and ensure that subordinate clauses are properly attached to main clauses.

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

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