Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter regarding a laptop purchase i did last month from your company. Unfortunately, my device has started shutting down unexpectedly while i use it.

This problem is very crucial for me as majority of work i do is from home. I am a freelancer and i have some online meetings with my client on daily basis. Since, my laptop is started to shut down unexpectedly, i am unable to connect them properly and this resulted in loss of important work.

I would really appreciate it if company could arrange me anyone to repair my laptop, or can help me with possible replacement. If any further inspection/proof required to proceed with, i would glad to provide you that. Moreover, i would be grateful if you could deal with this matter promptly and If you can provide me with further steps.

i look forward to hear from you soon.

Yours Faithfully,

PalPatel

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You described the technical issue (unexpected shutdowns), explained the impact on your freelance work and client meetings, and clearly stated 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, such as the model of the laptop or the specific error messages received, to make the request more professional and persuasive. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'Unfortunately' to link ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that transitions between sentences are smoother. For instance, the connection between the problem and its impact could be tightened with better signposting. Paragraphing is used correctly, which contributes to the overall clarity of the message.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'unexpectedly', 'freelancer', and 'promptly'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'laptop purchase i did' (should be 'made') and 'arrange me anyone' (should be 'arrange for someone'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from being considered 'flexible' or 'precise'. To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and ensuring that your word choices are consistently formal and accurate for a business context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several recurring grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. Specifically, there are issues with article usage ('the' company), subject-verb agreement ('my laptop is started'), and capitalization (the pronoun 'I' is frequently written as 'i'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation errors, such as the comma usage after 'Since'. While these errors do not make the letter difficult to understand, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammar and capitalization will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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