Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-05

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 inform you that I purchased a mouse from your shop last Friday. However, I am facing some issues with the device.

Firstly, I work remotely, and a mouse is an important device for me. However, the silent mouse is not working as expected. The scroll wheels are not functioning. Furthermore, the left and right click buttons are very stiff and at times and does not allow me to select any option on he screen.

Consequently, I am unable to select or deselect multiple options on the computer screen. Moreover, I cannot point to any options at times or scroll through the pages on the screen.

I hereby request that you replace this mouse, as it is not functioning at all, and the device is covered under the return policy.

Looking forward to immediate assistance with this equipment.

Yours sincerely,

Gaurav

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points of the prompt. You clearly describe the problem with the mouse, explain the impact on your remote work, and state your desired outcome (a replacement). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter of complaint. The ideas are relevant and logically developed, meeting the requirements of the task effectively. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more specific detail about the 'remote work' tasks that are being hindered to further extend the development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use paragraphing effectively to separate the introduction, the problem description, the impact, and the request. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', and 'Moreover' are used to link sentences and ideas. While the flow is generally good, some of the transitions feel slightly mechanical. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between the problem and its consequences would help elevate the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'remotely', 'functioning', and 'return policy' correctly. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the frequent use of 'device', 'mouse', and 'screen'. To improve, try to use synonyms or more precise descriptive language. For example, instead of saying 'not working as expected', you could use 'malfunctioning' or 'defective'. There are no significant spelling errors, and the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey your message clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are a few grammatical slips. For instance, the phrase 'at times and does not allow' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('does' should be 'do' to match 'buttons'). Additionally, there is a minor typo ('he screen' instead of 'the screen'). Despite these occasional errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the errors do not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures would help improve this score.

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.