Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-22

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 6.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to complain about the Dell laptop which I bought from your store yesterday. It was in excellent condition when I selected the equipment. Unfortunately, the window of the laptop is freezing during my office work this morning.

When I noticed the issue, I refreshed it. Still, it did not work properly. Then, I restarted it, but it had same issue. This breakdown is affecting my office work because I am unable to attend my meetings and meet the project deadlines.

I would appreciate it if you would look into this matter and take action as soon as possible. I would like you to provide me replacement because I paid the full amount. The original piece I selected was in good condition.

Yous faithfully

Kiran

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student has attempted all parts of the prompt by describing the problem with the Dell laptop, explaining its impact on their work, and stating the desired outcome of a replacement. However, the response is 129 words long, falling short of the required 150-word minimum specified for Task 1. This under-length impacts the level of detail and development expected for higher bands. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, opening with 'Dear Sir or Madam' (though modified slightly by the student) and covering the required bullet points adequately, but the brevity prevents a fully developed response, leading to a band score of 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter maintains a clear and logical overall progression. Paragraphing is used to separate distinct points, such as introducing the purchase and the problem in the first paragraph, detailing the troubleshooting steps and impact in the second, and stating the requested solution in the third. Cohesive devices are used adequately, including transition words like 'Unfortunately,' 'Still,' and 'Then.' However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'the window of the laptop is freezing' instead of the operating system or screen. Overall, the organization is coherent and appropriate for a short formal letter, earning a solid band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with standard terms like 'excellent condition,' 'troubleshooting,' and 'project deadlines.' However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and unnatural phrasing, such as 'the window of the laptop is freezing' instead of 'the screen' or 'the system,' and 'provide me replacement' missing the article 'a'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying heavily on basic, repetitive terms. While communication is never impeded, the lexical limitations and word choice errors restrict the score to a 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and dependent clauses ('When I noticed the issue, I refreshed it' and 'I would appreciate it if you would look into this matter'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward expressions, including 'it had same issue' (missing article 'the') and the sign-off 'Yous faithfully' (typographical error for 'Yours faithfully'). Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and the writer shows basic control over sentence structure, aligning well with the descriptors for a band 6.0.

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

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