Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-01

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 to make a complaint about the purchase I did one month ago. The laptop I purchased has started giving me multiple problems such as taking 5-6 minutes to turn on, then once it is started, again it starts buffering. At first, I thought it detected a virus. However, after all the necessary checks done by the technician, it was found out that the laptop is missing a major tool while assembling at the warehouse.

Secondly, it was a laptop that I was using for my work assignments. Moreover, I do blog writing and I have deadlines to complete my work. It has been difficult to continue my work as I do not have alternative way to finish my task. Therefore, it is crucial for a replacement instead of repair. The product is in the warranty period and can be replaced with a new one.

Lastly, the laptop is from the company Dell. The product number is 345ARX and model 20A. I will post the laptop after confirmation on your side.

Looking forward to a positive and quick response.

Yours faithfully,

Harman

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly describe the technical issues (slow startup and buffering), explain the impact on your professional blogging work, and state your requirement for a replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail regarding the 'missing tool' or the specific nature of the work deadlines to further develop the ideas, but overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use cohesive devices such as 'At first', 'However', 'Secondly', and 'Therefore' to guide the reader through your argument. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, ensure that the transition between the technical description and the impact on your work is slightly more fluid, perhaps by linking the laptop's failure directly to the inability to meet your specific blogging deadlines.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'warranty period' and 'positive and quick response' are appropriate for the context. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'the purchase I did' (should be 'the purchase I made') and 'missing a major tool while assembling' (should be 'missing a major component due to an assembly error'). These errors do not impede communication, but refining these collocations would elevate the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'once it is started, again it starts buffering' (which is slightly redundant) and 'it is crucial for a replacement' (should be 'it is crucial to have a replacement' or 'I require a replacement'). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the letter follows the standard formal structure. The majority of your sentences are clear, and errors are infrequent enough that they do not cause confusion for the reader.

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

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