Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-23

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 5.0)

Dear sir,

I am writing this letter regarding problem which i am facing while using gaming chair which i recently bought from your website.

To begin with issue that i am facing when i am sitting on the gaming chair it make lot of noise and that makes me very unhappy because i do work from home and for that i have to have a chair which gives me comfort while taking call or having meeting.

I come around your company's gaming chair which i saw on internet with good reviews but i am very not satisfy by product because i am not able concentrate on my work.

I request you give me a full refund or a new gaming chair from you because i have recently bought and it is under warranty

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points: describing the problem, explaining the impact on work, and stating the desired outcome. However, the response is significantly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which limits the development of ideas. The tone is somewhat informal and lacks the professional polish expected in a formal letter of complaint. Because the length requirement was not met, the development of the ideas remains superficial, preventing a higher score. To improve, you should expand on the specific nature of the noise and provide more detail regarding the professional consequences of the faulty equipment.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and often mechanical. Phrases like 'To begin with' are used, but the transitions between sentences are often abrupt or missing. The lack of variety in linking words makes the flow feel disjointed. To improve, focus on using a wider range of cohesive devices such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'as a result' to connect your ideas more fluidly and improve the overall logical progression of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. You rely on simple phrases like 'problem which i am facing' and 'very not satisfy'. There is little attempt to use more precise or professional vocabulary suitable for a formal complaint. For example, instead of 'make lot of noise', you could use 'emits a persistent squeaking sound'. The word choice is functional but lacks the range required for a higher band. Expanding your vocabulary to include more specific descriptive terms and formal business collocations would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('the' problem, 'a' gaming chair), incorrect verb forms ('it make' instead of 'it makes'), and punctuation issues. The sentence structures are mostly simple, with limited attempts at complex sentences. The errors, such as 'i am very not satisfy', impede the clarity of the message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and proofreading for basic sentence construction. Increasing the variety of your sentence structures by using relative clauses or conditional sentences would also be beneficial.

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

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