Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-27

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 6.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to bring your attention regarding my handbag which I accidentally forgot in one of the taxi of your company.

To begin with, yesterday I had an appointment at University Canada West at round 1pm, and I travelled there by yellow taxi. I was getting late and, when I was doing online payment on my mobile phone , I forgot to carry my bag.

The colour of my bag is black, and it is made of pure leather. It has many zips of silver colour, also it has a teddy bear keychain on the side.

My bag contains important documents and it also have some cash and credit card.

I would appreciate it if you could inform to the taxi drivers about a lost small handbag who drove to Granville Street and ask them to handover it to you. I also hope that you will look at this matter at your earliest convenience.

I look forward to your quick action and response.

Yours faithfully,

Simranjit Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: explaining the loss, 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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, while the bag is described, the explanation of how it was lost could be slightly more detailed to improve the flow. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the task effectively and maintains a consistent, professional tone throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt, which aids readability. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'and', and 'also' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. While the progression of ideas is clear, the use of cohesive devices could be more varied to improve the natural flow of the text. Overall, the structure is sound and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows for clear communication. You use some specific descriptive terms like 'pure leather' and 'teddy bear keychain'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'bring your attention regarding' (should be 'bring to your attention') and 'inform to the taxi drivers' (should be 'inform the taxi drivers'). These errors do not impede communication but suggest a need for more precise control over formal phrasing. Expanding your range of synonyms and practicing common collocations would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'one of the taxi of your company' (should be 'taxis'), 'it also have' (should be 'it also has'), and 'handover it' (should be 'hand it over'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To reach a higher band, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct placement of phrasal verbs. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also be beneficial for future tasks.

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

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