Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-23

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to express my concern about the bag which I unexpectedly left in the taxi of your company , yesterday evening (21 August).

To make it clear, I took the taxi from Cambridge downtown and had ride to Kitchener. i would appreciate the fact that driver was incredibly well mannered and we suddenly started talking about job market. Since we were having really interesting conversation, when i reached destination i while talking to him i step down the taxi. After i reached home i realized i forgot the bag.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement. While you have attempted to explain how the bag was lost, the description of the bag is entirely missing, and the request for assistance is not clearly formulated. The letter is incomplete, leaving out essential information required by the prompt. To improve, you must ensure all bullet points are addressed in detail and that the response meets the length requirement to allow for full development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter lacks a clear structure. While there is an attempt at an introduction, the body of the letter is disorganized and lacks logical progression. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences, making the flow of information feel disjointed. Paragraphing is insufficient, and the transition between the narrative of the taxi ride and the realization of the lost item is abrupt. Using linking words such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'unfortunately' would help improve the logical flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'make it clear' and 'reached destination' are somewhat unnatural in this context. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'step down the taxi' instead of 'stepped out of the taxi'. The range of vocabulary is limited, which prevents you from expressing your situation with the necessary precision for a formal letter. Expanding your vocabulary to include more specific terms related to travel and lost property would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Issues include missing articles ('the taxi', 'the job market'), incorrect verb tenses ('we suddenly started talking'), and awkward sentence construction ('i would appreciate the fact that driver was...'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing capital letters for 'I' and improper comma usage. The range of sentence structures is limited to simple or poorly connected compound sentences. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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