Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-04

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 5.5)

Dear Sir/Madam

I hope you are doing good in your life.

I'm Shreya Kalra, I rode in one of your taxi yesterday from 37th street avenue to 2A milestone. During that journey I receive a call from my manager regarding some urgent work and I had a deep conversation with him. Because of that I forgot to take my bag from the taxi.

My bag is in dark brown colour with golden chain with it. That carries my lot of important stuff specially my personal documents. In my bag I had my apartment keys and 4000$. One of the most important thing is my prescription and medicine from my dermatologist.

Your taxi number is XR[redacted phone] and driver name is John. I live in Margo 71th near Aron Lake and my contact number is [redacted phone].

I would like to request you to help me in getting my bag that would be really helpful to me.

Shreya Kalra

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: explaining the loss, describing the bag, and requesting assistance. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a manager. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the description of the bag is brief, and the explanation of the loss could be more detailed to ensure the reader fully understands the context. While the task is fully addressed, the level of detail is just sufficient rather than well-developed, which aligns with the descriptors for a band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. The progression of ideas is straightforward, moving from the incident to the description and finally the request. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite limited and somewhat mechanical. There is a lack of varied linking words or transition phrases to connect sentences more fluidly. The referencing is clear, but the overall flow could be improved with more sophisticated cohesive links to move beyond simple sentence structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate the necessary information effectively. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'doing good in your life' (which is overly informal for a business letter) and 'that carries my lot of important stuff'. The use of '4000$' is also non-standard; the currency symbol should precede the number. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message, it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I rode in one of your taxi' (should be 'taxis'), 'I receive a call' (tense inconsistency), and 'one of the most important thing' (should be 'things'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the overall meaning of the letter. The punctuation is generally functional, but the control over verb tenses and pluralization needs improvement to reach a higher band.

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

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