Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-27

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 7.0)

Dear Sir,

I am formally writing this letter to inform you the malfunction of headphones which I brought from your store last month during the black friday sale from November 23 to November 29.

I purchased Hawaii brand headphones with noise cancelation feature in black color. At the beginning it was working fine with proper Bluetooth connection and good speaker quality too. However, last night while I was on an office call suddenly it got disconnected and while trying to connect back its not working. To double check if the issue is with the headset or my laptop , connected my laptop with my friends headset, to my surprise that headset was working fine with my laptop.

Due to this issue, I am unable to connect properly with my team during my shift hours. On the other hand, its causing disturbance to my roommate if I connect on call without headphones. This is leading me into a stressful situation.

I willbe grateful if the company according to there return policies either refund me one third of the amount I paid to purchase or send me a replacement of it as soon as possible. I am sending back the headphone, warranty card and purchase receipt through courier to the company's address.

Looking forward to hear back from you.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The letter covers all three required points clearly: you identify the headphones and purchase, describe the Bluetooth failure, explain its effect on work calls and your roommate, and request a refund or replacement. The practical detail about testing your laptop with another headset helps support your account of the fault. Your requested remedies are explicit, and you mention returning the headphones, warranty card, and receipt. To make the response even more complete and precise, clarify the refund request: asking for “one third” of the price may seem inconsistent with seeking compensation for faulty equipment, so state whether you want a full refund or a replacement. The purpose and desired outcome are otherwise well established.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a sensible sequence: purchase details, the fault, its impact, and the action you want the company to take. Paragraphing separates the main stages, and transitions such as “However,” “Due to this issue,” and “Looking forward” help the reader follow the letter. Some links are less smooth: “On the other hand” does not express a contrast between the work problem and the disturbance to your roommate, and “To double check” introduces a sentence whose subject is unclear. Consider using “Also” for the second consequence and making the test sequence explicit. A more conventional closing and consistent paragraph spacing would further polish the letter’s progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for a complaint, including “malfunction,” “Bluetooth connection,” “replacement,” and “purchase receipt.” These choices communicate the issue and requested action, while details such as “noise cancelation feature” make the product description specific. Some word choices and collocations are less natural or precise: “speaker quality” would usually be “sound quality,” “connect back” could be “reconnect,” and “stressful situation” is broad when describing the practical consequences. There are also spelling or form slips, including “cancelation” and “willbe,” which reduce accuracy. The range is adequate and sometimes flexible, but more idiomatic phrasing and careful proofreading would strengthen control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes both straightforward statements and more developed sentences, for example the sentence beginning “However, last night…” and the explanation of how the fault affects your work. Meaning remains clear overall, but some grammatical errors occur. In “inform you the malfunction,” the verb pattern needs “inform you of the malfunction”; “while trying to connect back its not working” lacks a clear subject and needs an apostrophe in “it’s”; and “I am sending back the headphone” has a number mismatch with the plural product referred to earlier. The sentence beginning “To double check” also needs a subject, such as “I connected my laptop…”. Review verb patterns, sentence completeness, articles, and punctuation to improve accuracy while retaining varied structures.

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

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