Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-15
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 to bring your attention to the issue I am currently facing with the laptop which I recently bought from your shop. I am looking for quick resoltuion as this equipment is utterly important for my job.
To commence with, the system seems faulty as it is unable to load up powerpoint application as normal. This sometimes delay me from opening the presentation during important meetings which is also embarrasing. Meanwhile, the device drains battery at abnormal speed. As far as I understand it could be due to the issue of overheating which restricts me from working normally.
Impact of these problem are seen on my recent performance which is why I want you to priortize service for this device. Meanwhile I request for a temporary device which I urgently need to continue my job related work.
I am hoping everything would be covered under warranty and looking to hear back from you as soon as possible.
Your truely,
Ranjot
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The student successfully covers all bullet points required by the task prompt. The letter begins appropriately and addresses the issue by describing the laptop problems, such as failing to load PowerPoint and rapid battery drainage. Furthermore, the writer clearly explains how these technical difficulties impact their job performance, noting that it causes embarrassing delays during important presentations. Finally, the response outlines what the shop or company should do, specifically requesting prioritized servicing and a temporary replacement device. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, and all parts of the task are well developed, leading to a solid performance in this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The letter exhibits a clear logical progression and overall coherent arrangement. The writer makes use of cohesive devices to structure the points, such as "To commence with", "Meanwhile", and "As far as I understand". Paragraphing is appropriately handled, dividing the introduction, the problem description, the impact and requested action, and the closing remarks into distinct blocks. However, there are minor awkward transitions and occasional cohesion slips, such as "Impact of these problem are seen", which prevent the score from reaching a higher band. Overall, the ideas flow logically and are easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for a general workplace complaint letter, using functional terms such as "equipment", "warranty", "presentation", and "faulty". There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as "utterly important", "abnormal speed", and "priortize". However, there are a few noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including "resoltuion" instead of resolution, "embarrasing" instead of embarrassing, and "priortize" instead of prioritize. These minor mechanical slips cause occasional distraction, but communication is never impeded.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as "I am writing to bring your attention to the issue..." and "...the system seems faulty as it is unable to load up powerpoint application as normal." Control over grammar is generally fair, but there are several grammatical errors present. For instance, there is a missing article in "unable to load up powerpoint application", a subject-verb agreement error in "Impact of these problem are seen", and a sign-off error in "Your truely" instead of Yours truly. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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