Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-30

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 store manager,

Hope everything is going well on your end!

I am writing this letter to covey my concern regarding the table lamp that I recently purchased from your store. The receipt number is BSFR3214. I bought this on last Monday, 21 August 2026. I visited the store branch on Kipling road.

The problem that I am facing is the battery backup. I specially bought this lamp because I do not have the availabilty of electric plug where I sit to run my meetings. That is why I went for the option of buying a battery operated lamp. Unfortunately, its battery lasts for 30 minutes only. But, on its packing it is mentioned that it can work for 2 hours after charging.

This is really disappointing for me to use it for my office work. It is interrupting my work. As mentioned on the receipt the exchange offer is available. I request you to take this concern into consideration and deliver the new lamp on the early basis.

Yours sincerely,

Harmandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three required points: you identify the lamp and its battery problem, explain that it interrupts your office work, and request a replacement. The detail that the battery lasts only 30 minutes despite the packaging promising two hours makes the complaint clear and relevant. Your purpose is also apparent from the opening. To make the request more fully developed, specify a practical next step, such as arranging collection of the faulty lamp or confirming when the replacement will be delivered. The phrase “on the early basis” leaves the timing unclear. Also, the task specifies the opening “Dear Sir or Madam,” so using that exact salutation would better suit a formal letter to an unknown recipient.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear progression: you introduce the purchase, describe the fault, explain its effect on your work, and make a request. Paragraphing helps separate the background from the problem and its consequences, while links such as “That is why” and “Unfortunately” guide the reader through your reasoning. The sequence is easy to follow throughout. Some connections could be more precise: “This is really disappointing for me to use it” does not clearly link the battery failure to the impact on your work. A more direct transition, such as “As a result, I cannot rely on the lamp during meetings,” would strengthen the progression. A separate closing paragraph for the requested action would also make the letter’s structure more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for explaining a consumer complaint, and phrases such as “battery backup,” “battery operated lamp,” and “interrupting my work” communicate the main issue. You also attempt more formal wording with “take this concern into consideration,” showing some awareness of register. However, several choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural: “covey” should be “convey,” “availabilty” should be “availability,” and “on the early basis” is not a natural expression. “I went for the option of buying” is also wordy. Choose more precise collocations, such as “I chose a battery-powered lamp” and “as soon as possible.” These improvements would make the complaint sound more fluent and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “I specially bought this lamp because…” and the contrast introduced by “Unfortunately.” Most of the message remains understandable, and the main facts are expressed clearly. Some grammatical issues remain. In “I bought this on last Monday,” the preposition is unnecessary; write “I bought it last Monday.” “It is interrupting my work” is understandable, but “It interrupts my work” is more suitable for a recurring effect. The sentence “This is really disappointing for me to use it for my office work” has an unclear grammatical relationship between “disappointing” and “to use”; try “This makes it difficult to use the lamp for my office work.” More consistent control of these patterns would strengthen accuracy.

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

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