Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You rode in a taxi yesterday. When you got home, you realized you had left your bag in the taxi.

Write a letter to the manager of the taxi company. In your letter
• explain how you lost your bag.
• describe your bag.
• ask the manager to help you find it.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing regarding the taxi ride from your company yesterday. After reaching home, I found out that my bag was left in the cab.

Yesterday, I was returning home from work. It was late midnight to get the public transport, so I booked an Uber to come to my house. Also, it was raining heavely so I had phone, documents, bag and umbrella with me. After getting in the taxi I remember keeping my bag to the next seat but while getting off I didn't realize as I was in a rush to get home so I left it in the cab.

I had big tote bag with black prints and small stone pearl linings at the edge of it. Inside the bag, I had a purse with some cash and my banking cards which is necessary for my financial transactions. I remember leaving it in the taxi.

I would appreciate it if you could talk to your employees about the bags. I would also be happy to provide you the Uber driver details and my travel summary so it would be easier for you to communicate.

Hoping for your positive and quick response.

Yours faithfully,

Ben

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three points in the task: you explain that you left the bag on the adjacent seat while rushing out, describe its appearance and contents, and ask the manager to help locate it. The details about the rain, your journey from work, and the banking cards make the situation clear and relevant. Your request for the company to speak with its employees is understandable, and offering the driver details and trip summary gives a practical next step. To make the request more fully developed, ask directly whether the manager can contact the driver, check the vehicle, and let you know how to recover the bag. This would make the purpose of the letter more explicit and actionable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall arrangement: the opening explains the reason for writing, followed by separate paragraphs about how the bag was left, what it looks like, and what help you need. This progression makes the message easy to follow. You also use time and contrast markers such as “Yesterday,” “After getting in the taxi,” and “but” to connect events. Some linking is less smooth, however: “Also” introduces the rain and belongings without a clear relationship to the previous sentence, and “I remember leaving it in the taxi” repeats information already given. The final request could connect more directly to the lost-bag details. Use fewer repeated statements and make the steps in your request flow in a clear sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the purpose and includes useful descriptive details, such as “tote bag,” “black prints,” “pearl linings,” and “travel summary.” These choices help the reader picture the item and understand what information you can provide. There are some inaccurate or unnatural choices, including “late midnight to get the public transport,” “come to my house,” and “talk to your employees about the bags.” “Heavely” is also misspelled, and “small stone pearl linings” is difficult to interpret. Aim for more precise, natural collocations: for example, say that public transport was no longer running, that you booked a taxi home, and that the manager should contact the driver or check the vehicle. This would improve clarity and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “After getting in the taxi…” and the conditional request “I would appreciate it if…”. Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors are present. For example, “I had big tote bag” needs an article, and “my banking cards which is necessary” has a subject–verb agreement problem; the relative clause should agree with the plural “cards.” The sentence beginning “It was late midnight to get the public transport” is also awkwardly constructed, making the relationship between the time and transport unclear. Review articles, agreement, and sentence structure, and break up long sentences where several events are joined together. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen the letter.

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

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