Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-10

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 or Madam,

I am writing this letter concerning my bag that I left behind yesterday in a taxi that belongs to your company. My name is Nitin and I had booked a taxi yesterday at 8AM to go to my office. I remember taking it with me when I left my house and caught a taxi.

I was in hurry because I was getting late for my work; therefore, I was also stressed that I might miss my appointment with client and because of this I ran toward office when driver stopped the car. Due to this I forgot to take my bag which I put on a back seat of a taxi.

My bag is black in colour and It has documents which are precious to me. In Addition to this I also left my laptop in it as I always carry that in it.

I hope you will find my bag as soon as possible and if you need any additional information, please call me on [redacted phone]. I already attached my booking details below with this email.

Yours Sincerely,

Nitin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

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 ideas are relevant and clearly presented, though the description of the bag could be slightly more detailed to assist in identification (e.g., brand, specific features). Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task effectively, providing all necessary information in a logical manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving from the context of the incident to the description and finally the request for help. Cohesive devices such as 'therefore', 'in addition to this', and 'as' are used to link ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion, but the current structure is sufficient for a clear and coherent response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their message clearly. There is some use of appropriate collocations like 'left behind' and 'booking details'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on basic vocabulary. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise or descriptive language, such as 'valuable documents' instead of 'precious' or 'rushed' instead of 'in hurry'. The errors present do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the driver', 'a back seat') and minor prepositional issues ('in hurry' should be 'in a hurry'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause confusion or impede the reader's understanding of the situation. The student demonstrates a reasonable command of basic grammar, but more consistent control over articles and prepositions is needed to achieve a higher score.

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

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