Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-10

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 5.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to request your help to track and get my backpack back. I had booked a ride in your taxi yesterday, after completing my trip I forgot my bag in your taxi.

Moreover, it was a black bag with grey strips and a Nike logo at front. Therefore, it contains my academic credentials and laptop.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the purpose of the letter, explain that you left the bag in the taxi, and give some identifying details: it is black, has grey stripes and a Nike logo, and contains academic credentials and a laptop. However, the response is far too brief to address the task fully. It does not explain the circumstances of the journey in enough detail, and the request for help is only stated generally; you do not ask the manager to check with the driver, contact you, or arrange collection. The required opening is also changed from “Dear Sir or Madam,” to “Dear Sir,”. Develop each bullet point and include a suitable closing to make the letter complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The ideas are presented in a basic, understandable order: you state your purpose, explain that the bag was left behind, and then describe it. The opening phrase “I am writing this letter” helps establish the purpose, while “Moreover” and “Therefore” attempt to connect the details. However, the response is so short that it has little overall progression or paragraph development, and “Therefore” does not clearly express the relationship between the bag’s appearance and its contents. Use separate paragraphs for the incident, the bag’s description, and your request, and connect them with more precise transitions. A clear final paragraph asking for specific action would improve the organisation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the main facts, including “backpack,” “black,” “grey strips,” “logo,” and “academic credentials.” These details help the manager identify the item. However, the range is limited, and some choices are not natural or precise in this context: “track and get my backpack back” is awkwardly repetitive, and “strips” is less suitable than “stripes” for a pattern. “At front” is also an imprecise phrase. Expand your vocabulary for describing the journey and requesting assistance, such as explaining that you “left the bag on the back seat” or asking the company to “contact the driver.” More precise collocations would make the letter clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes simple sentences and an attempt at a more complex structure, so the main message is generally understandable. However, the sentence “I had booked a ride in your taxi yesterday, after completing my trip I forgot my bag in your taxi” joins two complete ideas with only a comma. Separate them or use a conjunction. In “Therefore, it contains my academic credentials and laptop,” the pronoun “it” refers to the bag, but the sentence would be clearer with a colon or a direct description. The phrase “at front” also needs an article (“at the front”). Aim to use a wider mix of accurate sentence patterns and check punctuation and articles carefully.

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.