Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-24

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/madam

I am writing to you to explain the issue I am facing due to a product i had ordered from your company.

Firstly, i would like to mention that the product I had ordered was a laptop. There are several problems with the device such as reboots by itself, screen goes blank and has also erased the data by itself many times. The laptop is important for me as I have to work from home.

In addition to that, I would also like to mention that due to such problems data that was stored is not recoverable. It made me loose a few clients of our company's business. Also, I am unable to coordinate with my team on the projects.

As for the solution, I would be grateful if you could either process the refund or have the device replaced. I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Harikrishna

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the prompt effectively. You clearly describe the problem with the laptop, noting that it reboots by itself, the screen goes blank, and it erases data. You also explain how this affects your work by mentioning that you are unable to coordinate with your team and have lost clients. Finally, you state what you want the company to do by asking for either a refund or a device replacement. The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint letter, and all necessary information is presented to fulfill the task requirements successfully, matching the criteria for Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are grouped reasonably well into paragraphs, starting with an introduction of the issue, followed by specific symptoms and impacts on work, and concluding with the desired solution. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition to that', and 'As for the solution' are used to guide the reader through the letter. However, paragraphing could be slightly refined, and some referencing is a bit repetitive, placing this securely in the Band 6 or 7 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully conveying your message. You use some useful phrases such as 'process the refund' and 'device replaced'. However, there are a few word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'loose' instead of 'lose', and the phrasing 'reboots by itself' could be more natural. There is an over-reliance on basic vocabulary with limited use of less common lexical items. To reach higher bands, aim to incorporate more precise academic or professional vocabulary related to equipment failures and business communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am writing to you to explain the issue I am facing due to a product i had ordered from your company.' There are some minor grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including lowercase 'i' on multiple occasions ('i had ordered', 'i would like') and missing capitalisation in the salutation ('Dear sir/madam'). Despite these errors, communication is not impeded, and the majority of simple sentences are accurate, warranting a solid Band 6 score.

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

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