Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-18

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/Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the laptop I purchased from your shop.

I bought the laptop from your store last week, it is a in black color and from HP company. After receiving the laptop, I noticed that there are some scratches on its surface and I tried to turned on the laptop multiple times but it did not worked, first I thought that the laptop is not charged but after multiple attempts, I could not turned on the laptop.

I expected so much from your product because I purchased this for my work. I am trying to fix the laptop from the last week and it is affecting my work because the laptop is not working and I have an important projects to complete. Therefore, I am not able to complete my work on time due to this issue.

I would really appreciate it if you could either provide me refund or replace it with the fully functioned one. Please let me know, if I have to return the laptop first and show my purchased receipt.

Yours faithfully,

Jashan

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly described the physical damage and the functional failure of the laptop, explained the negative impact on your work projects, and stated a clear request for a refund or replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are slightly more developed; for instance, you could briefly mention the specific nature of the work projects affected to add more weight to your complaint, though you have met the requirements for the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Therefore' and 'After receiving' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by repetitive sentence structures. To improve, try to vary your transition words and ensure that the progression between sentences is smoother. For example, the transition between describing the physical scratches and the functional failure could be more fluid. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the message is easy to follow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly, such as 'dissatisfaction', 'multiple attempts', and 'fully functioned'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'fully functioned one' (should be 'fully functional') and 'fix the laptop from the last week' (should be 'trying to fix the laptop for the last week'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and common collocations to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, particularly with verb tenses and infinitive forms. For example, you wrote 'I tried to turned on' (should be 'I tried to turn on') and 'I could not turned on' (should be 'I could not turn on'). Additionally, there is a comma splice in the second sentence: 'I bought the laptop from your store last week, it is a in black color'. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage after modal verbs will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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