Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-11

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 Sir,

I am writing this letter to ask for your help in finding my bag which I had lost yesterday in your taxi.

Yesterday evening, I was extremely tired when I left from my workplace. Therefore, I thought to book a taxi to reach home. During the ride, I received an urgent call from my colleague. I picked-up the call and got busy in the conversation that I left my bag in the taxi. I got disappointed when I could not find my bag after reaching home.

It is a black leather bag with zipper on the front. It has some cash and my important documents in it. Therefore, this bag is very valuable for me and I am willing to offer $200 as a reward to someone who can find it.

Kindly inspect all your taxies who rode in the Halifax region yesterday evening, if possible and let me know if you find anything. You can contact me via e-mail or phone call.

I am hoping to hear back from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Iqbal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The letter covers all three requested points clearly: you explain that you left the bag behind while distracted by a colleague’s call, describe it as a black leather bag with a front zipper and contents, and ask the manager to inspect taxis and contact you. The offer of a reward also supports the request and gives the company a practical reason to help. These details make the purpose clear and the ideas are well developed for this situation. To make the account even more complete, provide any identifying details you remember, such as the approximate journey time, pickup or drop-off location, or taxi number. This would make your request more actionable, while the current response already addresses the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear sequence: purpose, explanation of the loss, description of the bag, and a request for assistance. Paragraphing separates these stages effectively, and linking expressions such as “Therefore” and “During the ride” help the reader follow the account. The closing is also appropriate for a formal letter. Some connections are slightly mechanical or unclear: “Therefore” is used twice in close succession, and “I picked-up the call and got busy in the conversation that I left my bag” compresses the distraction and the loss into an awkward link. Use a clearer cause-and-result structure, such as explaining that you became distracted and forgot the bag when leaving. Overall, progression is logical, with room for more flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation precisely, including “urgent call,” “important documents,” “valuable,” and “reward.” The description of the bag is specific, and the tone is generally suitable for a formal request. There are, however, several word-choice and collocation issues that keep the vocabulary from sounding consistently natural: “book a taxi to reach home” is less idiomatic than “book a taxi to get home,” while “inspect all your taxies” is an awkward choice for asking the company to check its vehicles. “Got disappointed” is also less natural than “was disappointed.” Aim for conventional phrases used in formal correspondence and check spelling, including the plural “taxis.” This would make your otherwise clear vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The letter includes a useful mix of simple and complex sentences, including a time clause (“when I left from my workplace”) and a conditional request (“if possible”). Many sentences are easy to understand, and the overall message remains clear. A few grammatical problems persist, particularly in the sentence “I picked-up the call and got busy in the conversation that I left my bag in the taxi,” where the relationship between the actions needs a clearer clause structure. In “I am hoping to hear back from you soon,” the present continuous is understandable, though the simple present would be more conventional in this closing. Review verb patterns and sentence links, and avoid inserting a hyphen in the verb “picked up.” More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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

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