Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-12

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 5.5)

Dear manager,

subject- lost the bag in the taxi

I am writing this letter to request you that i lost my bag in taxi .I would like to inform you that i rode by taxi last Saturday at around 4 pm. When I sit in taxi , i have lot of bags because i am moving from one place to another . Due to this, I thinks forgot my bag in taxi .

Furthermore, the company of bag is ripzone and it is a big back bag. Bag have lot of light colors such as pink , sky blue and white . There is a also one key chain of doll with it.

I would really appreciate you if you could find help me to find my bag because there is important documents in my bag. Therefore, it is a necessary to me find my bag. Thank you for your time and understanding. I am looking forward to your response.

kind regards,

khushveer kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student covers all three bullet points required by the prompt. The letter explains how the bag was lost by stating 'I rode by taxi last Saturday at around 4 pm' and noting 'i have lot of bags because i am moving'. It describes the bag effectively: 'the company of bag is ripzone and it is a big back bag' with 'light colors such as pink , sky blue and white' along with 'one key chain of doll'. Finally, it asks the manager for assistance by stating, 'I would really appreciate you if you could find help me to find my bag'. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal request letter, although the opening salutation 'Dear manager' is a bit informal compared to the prompt's suggested 'Dear Sir or Madam'. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear purpose established in the opening. Ideas are organised into logical paragraphs, separating the introduction, the explanation and description of the bag, and the concluding request. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'Due to this, I thinks forgot my bag in taxi' is slightly awkward, and referencing is occasionally imprecise. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division between the second and third body sections could be smoother. Transitional markers like 'Furthermore' and 'Therefore' are utilised, but mechanical usage prevents the text from reaching a higher band. Coherence and Cohesion is therefore awarded a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating key details such as colors ('pink', 'sky blue', 'white'), items ('documents', 'key chain'), and actions ('request', 'appreciate'). However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'back bag' instead of backpack, 'company of bag' instead of brand, and non-standard collocations. Spelling is generally acceptable, though punctuation and capitalization errors are frequent. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the message, but limitations and errors restrict the score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'I am writing this letter to request you that i lost my bag in taxi' and 'I would really appreciate you if you could find help me to find my bag'. However, grammar and punctuation control is weak. There are frequent basic errors, including missing articles ('in taxi', 'in bag'), incorrect verb tenses ('i thinks forgot'), and awkward phrasing ('find help me to find'). Subject-verb agreement and pronoun capitalization are also problematic throughout the response. Because these errors occur frequently and occasionally impede smooth reading, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.

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.