Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-19

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 hope you are doing well. I am writing to inform that I booked your taxi service yesterday from 3rd at Seymore, Victoria Street to 1750 Summit Drive, Kamloops, British Columbia yesterday for 03:00 PM.

After offboarding the taxi, I realized that I forgot my office bag in the car as I was in a rush to be available for an interview screening at 03:45. It was a plain black tote bag from Guess and I had some very important documents inside the tote including my laptop, my wallet with all my Id's and cards as well as my educational credentials.

I hope you will help me to locate my bag at your earliest convenience. Please let me know if you required any additional information from my side or if I need to fill any paperwork as per company protocol.

I am looking forward to hearing back from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

John Smith

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: explaining how the bag was lost, describing the bag, and requesting assistance. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a company manager. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the information provided is relevant and sufficient to allow the manager to take action. The inclusion of specific details, such as the pick-up and drop-off locations and the time of the ride, demonstrates a good grasp of the task requirements. The response is well-structured and fulfills all instructions provided in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The letter is logically organized, with a clear progression of ideas from the initial situation to the description of the item and finally the request for help. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the introduction, the body of the complaint, and the closing request. Cohesive devices such as 'After offboarding the taxi' and 'as well as' are used appropriately to link ideas. The flow of the letter is natural and easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a coherent and cohesive response.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the context of a formal letter. Phrases like 'earliest convenience' and 'company protocol' are well-chosen and fit the formal register. There are some minor issues, such as the use of 'offboarding' (which is more common in aviation or maritime contexts) and 'Id's' (which should be 'IDs'). However, the range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message clearly and precisely. The student demonstrates a good ability to use topic-specific language related to the situation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and the meaning is always clear. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'I am writing to inform that' (which should be 'inform you that') and 'if you required' (which should be 'if you require'). Despite these occasional errors, the grammatical control is strong, and the punctuation is generally accurate. The errors do not impede communication and do not detract from the overall professional tone of the letter.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.