Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-14

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 wirting this letter in utter need to address a serious problem and requesting your help regarding finding my bag which I lost in one of taxis of your company.

I travelled through your cab service yesterday from town center to my home on Harward Street around 5 o clock in the evening. As usual the ride is smooth and driver is professional and efficient. While in the car I received call from my sister regarding some home emergency. When I reached my drop off location I was still using my phone and I completely forget my bag there.

Its a small black colour bag with long strap more like a cross-body bag. It has silver zips and it was a two zipped bag. There is also brand name written on the black strap which is a lillte wide then the usual ones. My bag contains all my important cards, some medications and a little cash.

I request you to kindly look into this matter. Ask the relevant cab driver and help me find my bag. I know that your company has good repute and you people took these kinds of matter seriously.

I hope you will assist me regarding this and let me know with any update that you get.

Yours sincerely,

Aiman Irfan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all the bullet points outlined in the prompt. You clearly explained how you lost your bag by describing the taxi ride, receiving the emergency call, and forgetting it upon reaching your drop-off location on Harward Street. You also provided a detailed description of the bag, noting its small black cross-body shape, silver dual zips, and wide branded strap, alongside its contents. Finally, you explicitly asked the manager to investigate the matter and help you find it. The tone is consistently polite, appropriate, and serves the purpose of a formal complaint and inquiry letter well. Therefore, this fulfills the Band 7 requirements where all parts of the prompt are fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter has a clear logical organization and progression throughout. You begin with an appropriate formal salutation, state your purpose, narrate the events chronologically, describe the item, and conclude with a call to action and a proper sign-off. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct theme (the incident, the description of the bag, and the request for help). Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'While in the car', 'When I reached', and 'There is also', which help guide the reader smoothly through the narrative, earning a solid Band 7 rating.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally sufficient for the task, allowing you to describe the situation and the item with reasonable precision. You use appropriate terms such as 'drop-off location', 'emergency', and 'cross-body bag'. However, there are a few lexical and spelling inaccuracies, such as 'wirting' instead of 'writing', 'repute' instead of 'reputation', and 'lillte' instead of 'little'. Furthermore, phrases like 'utter need to address a serious problem' sound slightly unnatural in this context. These minor slips and instances of less-than-natural collocations place your performance securely in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures successfully, as seen in sentences like 'I know that your company has good repute and you people took these kinds of matter seriously.' However, there are noticeable tense inconsistencies and agreement errors throughout the text. For example, you shift between past and present tenses ('the ride is smooth and driver is professional' instead of 'was'), and write 'forgot' instead of 'forgotten' after 'completely'. There are also minor punctuation errors in the salutation ('Dear Sir Madam'). While these errors do not impede communication, their frequency prevents you from achieving a higher band, making Band 6 an accurate reflection of your grammatical control.

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

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