Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-18

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,

I hope this letter finds you well.

As I am aware about you are the manager of the taxi company called NSM where i travelled yesterday and left my purse in a taxi which has blue color and black number plate of CWDF 012 , I generally note down the number of public vehicles where i travel because it is important if you forget something in that and you do not have any information to that then nobody will able to help you to get out from this situation.

I will provide you some brief information regarding my bag the bag is from the GUESS brand which is in cream color and small bag which has all my identification and my credit and debit cards and it also has 300$ in cash.

The bag is important for me and i am hoping that you will take care of it until it reaches to me.

Yours sincerely,

Rob

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The letter covers all three bullet points: explaining the loss, describing the bag, and requesting assistance. However, the development of these points is somewhat uneven. The explanation of how the bag was lost is buried in a very long, run-on sentence that includes unnecessary information about the writer's habit of noting down taxi numbers. The description of the bag is clear, but the tone is slightly informal for a formal letter to a manager. To improve, ensure each bullet point is addressed with clear, concise sentences, and maintain a professional tone throughout the correspondence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The letter is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the flow of ideas is hindered by poor sentence structure. The first paragraph is a single, extremely long, and confusing sentence that attempts to combine too many ideas. This makes the progression of information difficult to follow. While there is some use of cohesive devices, they are often used incorrectly or in a way that creates run-on sentences. Using shorter, distinct sentences would significantly improve the logical flow and readability of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the reader to understand the situation. However, there is a lack of precision and some awkward phrasing, such as 'get out from this situation' and 'blue color and black number plate'. The range is limited, and the tone is not consistently formal. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more precise collocations and a more professional register, avoiding repetitive or overly simplistic phrasing when describing the items lost.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly regarding sentence structure and punctuation. The first paragraph is a run-on sentence that lacks proper punctuation, making it difficult to parse. There are also errors in article usage ('the bag is from the GUESS brand which is in cream color') and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of control over complex sentence structures and the high frequency of basic errors in grammar and punctuation limit the score. Focusing on writing shorter, error-free sentences would be a good starting point.

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

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