Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-30

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)

Hi sir,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I lost a bag while travelling with your taxi driver. The taxi number is ASD231 and booking reference is [redacted phone].

yesterday, I booked cab to come home after buying some items from city centre. I had a black color luggage that I forgot in the car. I tried to contact driver but it did not work. the bag includes my clothes and some personal document such as passport, driving licence etc. These all document are very urgent for me as I am travelling to UK next month.

i will really appreciate to you if you could help me to find my bag. i always use your taxi service. If you need any information form me feel free to ask me anytime. I hope you will find my bag.

I will look forward your prompt response.

Yours Faithfully,

Sukh Brar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: explaining how the bag was lost, describing the bag, and requesting assistance. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening 'Hi sir' is too informal for a letter addressed to a manager. The ideas are clear and relevant, providing necessary details such as the taxi number and booking reference, which helps the reader understand the situation. To improve, ensure the salutation matches the formal nature of the request and provide a slightly more detailed description of the bag's appearance to assist in its identification.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the purpose of the letter to the details of the incident and finally the request for help. Paragraphing is present, though the structure could be improved by separating the incident details from the request for action more clearly. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'yesterday' and 'if you need', but the flow is occasionally interrupted by short, choppy sentences. Using a wider variety of linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in addition' would help create a smoother, more professional narrative flow throughout the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey the necessary information clearly. You use some specific terms like 'booking reference' and 'personal document'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'black color luggage' (should be 'black luggage' or 'black-colored bag') and 'these all document' (should be 'all these documents'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise adjectives and formal collocations, such as 'valuable belongings' instead of 'items' or 'urgent assistance' instead of 'help'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with pluralization ('document' instead of 'documents', 'licence' instead of 'licenses') and article usage ('booked cab' instead of 'booked a cab'). Additionally, there are some punctuation and capitalization inconsistencies, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters ('yesterday', 'i'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent capitalization will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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