Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-22

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 5.0)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I need your help regarding the bag that I had left in your company's taxi yesterday.

I booked your company's taxi from the parle point to the marine road in the morning. I was in a hurry yesterday because I had an interview for my job and I had all my documents in my bag. When I returned home, I checked that the bag was not with me

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The student has attempted the task, but the response is severely underdeveloped and incomplete due to a very low word count of 72 words, falling short of the 150-word minimum. While the writer mentions the context of losing the bag during a taxi ride yesterday and briefly touches upon the journey from Parle Point to Marine Road, the content remains partial. Crucially, the student completely fails to describe the bag and does not explicitly ask the manager to help find it, which are key bullet points required in the prompt. Consequently, this leads to a lower task achievement score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The letter begins with an appropriate salutation, and the initial sentences show a logical progression in explaining the situation. However, the text is extremely brief, consisting of only two short paragraphs, and lacks adequate paragraphing structure and cohesive devices. The abrupt ending—leaving off mid-thought without even a sign-off—means there is no overall coherent arrangement across a full letter structure. Cohesive devices are minimal, and referencing is limited. Overall, the organizational structure is heavily constrained by the extreme brevity of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses a basic and limited vocabulary suited to everyday communication, such as 'help', 'company's taxi', 'hurry', and 'interview'. There are minor issues with word choice, such as 'checked that the bag was not with me' rather than realizing it was missing. Attempts at less common lexical items are absent, but the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the basic context of losing an item. Spelling is generally accurate, but the range is too narrow to achieve a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and basic complex sentences, such as 'I booked your company's taxi from the parle point to the marine road in the morning.' There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, notably 'the bag that I had left' (where past simple 'left' is more natural) and the omission of necessary punctuation at the very end of the incomplete sentence. However, the grammatical structures used do not severely impede general communication. Because of the limited sentence variety and persistent minor errors, a band score of 5.0 is appropriate.

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

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