Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-20

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 express my dissatisfaction with a laptop I purchased from your company six days ago. The laptop stopped functioning unexpectedly just three days after it's use. The screen went off and it was unable to get started again.

Unfortunately, the laptop stopped working after three days. Although, I followed all the manufactures instructions carefully, the device would not turned on. This has caused considerable inconvenience as I used it for my office work in order to make important documents and meeting the deadlines on time. I also checked the battery which was fully charged and confirmed that the laptop had not been dropped or physically damaged.

I would appriciate if you could replace the faulty laptop with a new one. I can provide the purchase receipt as a proof of payment if required. I believe that replacement would be a reasonable solution. I would be greatful if you could look into this matter as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Sehrish

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three requirements clearly: you identify the laptop and its failure, explain the effect on your office work and deadlines, and request a replacement. The details that it stopped working after three days, the screen went off, and it would not restart make the complaint specific; offering the receipt also supports your request. The impact on work is relevant, though “make important documents and meeting the deadlines” could be explained more precisely—for example, which tasks you cannot complete or how the delay affects your work. Overall, the purpose and requested action remain clear throughout. To strengthen the response further, develop the work-related consequences a little more and avoid repeating the failure after three days in consecutive paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: it opens with the complaint, gives details and consequences, then states the requested remedy and closes appropriately. Paragraphing helps distinguish these functions, and phrases such as “Unfortunately” and “I look forward to hearing from you soon” guide the reader. However, the sequence is not fully efficient because the laptop’s failure after three days is repeated in the first two paragraphs. “Although” also creates an awkward link to the following clause, and “This” could refer either to the failure or to the preceding explanation. Grouping the fault details together, then moving directly to the work impact, would make progression smoother and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal complaint, including “dissatisfaction,” “considerable inconvenience,” “faulty laptop,” and “reasonable solution.” These choices communicate the issue and desired outcome clearly, and the tone is generally suitable for writing to a company. Some word choices and collocations are less natural, however: “stopped functioning” is followed by the more repetitive “stopped working,” while “make important documents” and “meeting the deadlines” do not express the work impact idiomatically. There are also spelling errors in “appriciate” and “greatful,” which slightly reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations such as “prepare important documents” and “meet deadlines,” and proofread spelling before sending.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the conditional-style request “I would appreciate if you could replace…” and the subordinate clause beginning “Although.” Most of the message is understandable, and errors rarely prevent the reader from following your complaint. Some grammatical problems remain: “after it's use” has an incorrect possessive form, “the device would not turned on” uses the wrong verb form, and “Although, I followed…” is punctuated incorrectly and leaves the clause connection awkward. The phrase “as I used it … in order to make … and meeting” also lacks parallel verb forms. Review verb patterns after “would,” clause punctuation, and parallel structures to improve control.

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