Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-17

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to complaint about brand new Keyboard which I have purchased from your store a month ago.

Right now I am doing work from home since past six months. Which requires my computer and Keyboard to works perfectly fine. In this Keyboard, all keys are not working in a one press, I have to do it two to three times to get correct letters on the screen, which is annoying.

Most importantly, these is affecting my quality of work because it is time consuming while typing email or any short of writing during meetings. In addition to that my company has set some targets to finish in particular time frame, which I can not achieve it due to technical errors.

I really request you to take action on this and replace my keyboard or else give me a credit for future purchases. I am so disappointed with your product.

I am hoping to hear back from you. Hope you will understand my concern.

Your Sincerely,

Alexa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points of the prompt: describing the problem, explaining the impact on your work, and stating your desired outcome. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention the keyboard is 'annoying' and 'time consuming', providing a more specific example of a task that was delayed could have strengthened the response. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear, and the reader understands exactly what is required, which satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In addition to that' and 'Most importantly', to link your ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly misused, such as starting a sentence with 'Which requires...' when it is a dependent clause. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that sentences are connected more fluidly rather than relying on simple sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message, such as 'technical errors', 'time consuming', and 'purchased'. However, there are some errors in word choice and collocation that slightly hinder the natural flow. For instance, you wrote 'complaint' instead of the verb 'complain', and 'short of writing' instead of 'sort of writing'. These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a need for more precise vocabulary usage. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring the correct word form is used in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'I am doing work from home since past six months' (should be 'have been working'), 'these is affecting' (should be 'this is affecting'), and 'I can not achieve it' (the 'it' is redundant). Additionally, there are punctuation and capitalization issues, such as 'Keyboard' being capitalized unnecessarily. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and verb tenses will help improve your accuracy.

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.