Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-07

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 7.0)

Dear Manager,

I am writing this letter to report that I accidently left my bag in the taxi and would like to ask for help in recovering my lost item.

I booked the taxi yesterday around 8pm from Stoney creek to Hamilton. Driver picked me up around 8:10 pm and dropped me to location by 9 pm. I believe that I forgot my bag on the back seat of the taxi. I booked the taxi from uber application and attached the order details, unfortunately, there is no way to contact the driver.

My black bag is made of leather and it has my credit card, wallet, charger and my house keys. All the things are very important to me. If you could access to the driver and inquire about my bag, it would be very helpful.

Thank you for your assistance. If you need any further details about the bag and items included, you can contact me anytime.

Your's faithfully,

Arsh Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter clearly addresses all three requirements: you explain that you left the bag on the back seat after a journey from Stoney Creek to Hamilton, describe its colour, material and contents, and ask the manager to contact the driver. The travel times and reference to the Uber booking make the situation specific and support your request. The purpose remains clear throughout, and the polite closing suits a formal enquiry. To develop the response further, make the request more direct and actionable—for example, ask the manager to check with the driver and explain how you can be contacted if the bag is found. Also use the required opening, “Dear Sir or Madam,” rather than “Dear Manager,” to follow the task instructions precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

The information follows a clear, sensible sequence: you state the purpose, give the journey details, describe the bag and its contents, and finish with a request and thanks. This progression makes the letter easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “unfortunately” and “If you could” help connect the ideas. The paragraphing also separates the main stages of the message. Some connections could be smoother: the booking details and the lack of a way to contact the driver are joined in one sentence, making the relationship between them slightly abrupt. Consider separating these points and using a clearer transition. A distinct paragraph for the request would also give the central action more emphasis.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation clearly, including specific terms such as “back seat,” “leather,” “credit card,” and “house keys.” The wording is generally appropriate for a formal request, and the reader can understand what happened and what you need. However, some choices and combinations are not fully natural or precise, such as “access to the driver,” “dropped me to location,” and “recovering my lost item.” There is also a spelling error in “accidently.” These slips do not prevent understanding, but they limit the precision and naturalness expected at a higher level. Prefer established collocations such as “contact the driver,” “dropped me off,” and “recover my bag,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter includes a useful mix of simple and more complex structures. For example, “If you could access to the driver and inquire about my bag, it would be very helpful” attempts a conditional request, while “If you need any further details … you can contact me anytime” adds another subordinate clause. Many sentences are clear and correctly formed, so the message remains easy to understand. A few grammatical problems persist: “Driver picked me up” needs an article, “dropped me to location” has an incorrect preposition and missing article, and “access to the driver” does not fit the verb pattern. The apostrophe in “Your’s faithfully” is also incorrect. Review articles, verb-preposition patterns, and the conventional sign-off “Yours faithfully.”

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

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