Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-08

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,

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction with the laptop. I was extremely disappointed by the experience and would like to bring this matter to your attention.

Firstly, I would like to explain what happened. Recently, I bought a new laptop from your store and the the model was hp #[redacted phone] . The price was approximately 399 including tax.

The main problem of the laptop was the keyboard not working properly. This caused considerable inconvenience and was not what I had expected. Furthermore, this issue was effected my job because currently I work from home, therefore I need a laptop for doing work.

I would therefore appreciate it if you could excahnge the damaged laptop. I would also be grateful if you could allow the refund.

I hope you will look in to this matter and take appropriate action as soon as possible. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours Sincerely,

Krishnendu Mohan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three required points: it identifies the keyboard as the problem, explains that you work from home and need the laptop, and requests an exchange or refund. The purpose is clear from the opening, and the complaint remains relevant throughout. The explanation of the impact is less fully developed, however: saying the issue affects your job because you need a laptop does not specify what work you cannot complete or how the malfunction disrupts it. The requested remedy is also slightly unclear because you ask for both an exchange and a refund without indicating which you prefer or whether either would be acceptable. Adding a concrete example of the work affected and clarifying your preferred solution would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear, sensible order: you introduce the complaint, give purchase details, describe the fault and its effect, then state the remedy and close politely. Paragraphing supports this progression, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Furthermore,” and “I would therefore” help the reader follow the letter. Some linking is a little mechanical, and the purchase details interrupt the explanation of the problem without adding much to its development. The sentence beginning “Furthermore” also joins the effect on your work to the reason you need a laptop in a somewhat awkward way. Grouping the purchase information more tightly and using clearer cause-and-effect links would make the progression smoother while preserving the effective overall organisation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a suitable range of complaint-letter vocabulary, including “dissatisfaction,” “considerable inconvenience,” “damaged,” and “appropriate action.” These choices communicate the situation and maintain a generally formal tone. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “excahnge” and “look in to” are misspelled or incorrectly written, while “effected my job” uses the wrong word form for the intended meaning. “Allow the refund” is also an unnatural collocation; a company would usually “issue” or “provide” a refund. The repeated use of general terms such as “problem,” “issue,” and “matter” also limits specificity. Check spelling carefully and choose precise, natural phrases for the fault and requested remedy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most of the meaning remains clear. For example, “I would therefore appreciate it if you could…” uses a polite conditional structure effectively, while the closing sentences are controlled and appropriate. Some grammatical errors remain. In “the model was hp #676765,” the article is repeated in “the the model”; the sentence about the work is awkwardly joined with “therefore,” and “this issue was effected my job” has an incorrect verb construction. The sentence “The main problem of the laptop was the keyboard not working properly” would be more natural as “The main problem with the laptop was that its keyboard did not work properly.” Review sentence boundaries and verb patterns, especially when explaining cause and effect.

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

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