Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-01

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 6.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to highlight a problem that I am facing with the printer Canon that I just purchased from your shop last week.I enclosed herewith the receipt and proof of the faulty printer. I recalled having especially requested your saleman to verify that it is working well before it was delivered to me. I noticed that there are smudges of ink on my print and this is affecting my office work.It is worth noting that because I had some special assignments this week that I had acquired this printer to smooth my task.

Consequently, I urgently make an appeal to you to replace this printer with one in good working condition by tomorrow morning so that I do not need to bother you again.

Thanking you beforehand.

Regards,

Faranaz J

(135 words)

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You successfully addressed all parts of the letter prompt, covering the description of the problem, how it affects your work, and what you want the company to do. For instance, you clearly stated that there are smudges of ink on your print and requested a replacement by tomorrow morning. However, some ideas are a bit under-developed, such as the explanation of how the problem affects your work, which is limited to a brief mention of office tasks. Additionally, the response falls short of the minimum 150-word requirement, totaling only 137 words. To reach a higher level, you should extend and support your ideas with more detail and ensure you meet or exceed the target word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your letter maintains a coherent overall arrangement, and you followed the appropriate formal convention by starting with 'Dear Sir or Madam,' and ending with a formal sign-off. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving logically from describing the fault to stating the impact and finally making your demand for a replacement. Nevertheless, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'Consequently, I urgently make an appeal to you,' which sounds a bit unnatural for a routine complaint letter. To improve, you should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure smoother referencing throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrated an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'smudges of ink' and 'proof of the faulty printer.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and spelling. For instance, you wrote 'saleman' instead of 'salesman,' and phrases like 'to smooth my task' or 'make an appeal to you' are slightly unnatural in this context. While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect limitations in precision and lexical control. To achieve a higher score, you need to use a wider range of vocabulary with greater awareness of natural collocations and style, alongside careful proofreading to eliminate spelling slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You used a mix of simple and complex sentence forms in your letter, such as relative clauses and conditional structures. There are some grammar and punctuation errors, including a missing space after a full stop ('...week.I enclosed...') and minor tense inconsistencies ('I recalled having especially requested...'). However, these errors rarely impede communication, and your sentence structures remain generally understandable. To move up to a higher band, you need to produce more frequent error-free sentences while maintaining a wide variety of complex structures with accurate punctuation, article usage, and verb tense control.

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

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