Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-13

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 7.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter in hopes to find my lost bag in one of your taxis that I booked on the way to home from the airport yesterday. I had booked a taxi around 7 pm from the Pearson International Airport to my home in Langley. When the cab arrived, I was busy talking over the phone, but I remember leaving my bag besides me. When I reached home, I got out in hurry, and realized later that I forgot to grab my bag unfortunately.

To provide details for your reference, it was a medium sized black leather bag with three zipped pockets, and a long strap. In the front pocket, there were two phone chargers, while in the second and third were a blue folder and a wallet. Additionally, there was a brown stanley cup in the side pocket half-filled with coffee.

I would really appreciate if you can locate the bag as it has my wallet and confidential documents. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.

Sincerely,

James

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly explained how the bag was lost, provided a detailed description of the item, and included a polite request for assistance. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a company manager. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, ensuring the reader understands the situation immediately. To reach a higher band, you could ensure that the specific time and taxi details (such as a receipt number or license plate) are included to make the request more realistic and effective, which would further demonstrate a full development of the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose: the introduction states the purpose, the second paragraph provides the description, and the final paragraph contains the call to action. You have used cohesive devices such as 'Additionally' and 'To provide details for your reference' effectively to link your points. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall clarity of the message. The flow is smooth, and the relationship between the ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'confidential documents' and 'provide details for your reference' are well-chosen and appropriate for the formal context. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it is somewhat standard. To achieve a higher band, you could incorporate more sophisticated or precise collocations, such as 'misplaced my belongings' instead of 'lost my bag' or 'urgent assistance' instead of 'help'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. For example, 'When the cab arrived, I was busy talking over the phone, but I remember leaving my bag besides me' shows good control. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'in hopes to find' (should be 'in the hope of finding') and 'besides me' (should be 'beside me'). However, these errors are infrequent and do not cause any confusion for the reader. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and your punctuation is generally accurate throughout the letter.

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

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