Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-13

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 5.5)

Dear Sir,

I hope you are doing well.I am writing a request letter regarding my bag that I unfortunality forgot in your one of texis and want it back.

I took ride from airport to my home at yesterday night, i came from London and it was very long flight for me ,So I was not mentally preper. When I reached home I relized that I fotgot my bag in texi. It is a black color bag with a lion tag on it and its belts are very long and adjustable.

Bascially, I have my laptop in it that is essential for my both study and work. There are very important files and documents related my work and study in laptop. Without that I can not do my daily work and will be answered to school percinple and manager at work.

I humbly request you , please find my bag as soon as possible and send it to me on given adress. I hope you understand my condition and help in finding my bag.

I shall be very thankful to you.

John Cater

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you explain that you left the bag after a tiring flight and taxi journey, describe it as black with a lion tag and long adjustable straps, and ask the manager to help locate and return it. The details about the laptop and important files also make the request’s urgency clear. This is a relevant, purposeful letter, and the request is explicit. Some information is less fully developed, however: the journey details do not help the company identify the taxi, and “send it to me on given adress” does not provide a clear return arrangement. To strengthen the response further, include identifying details such as the approximate time, pickup or drop-off location, and any receipt or taxi number, while keeping the request polite and specific.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The letter follows a generally sensible order: purpose, journey and loss, description and contents, then a request and closing. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and phrases such as “When I reached home” and “Without that” show how the ideas relate. At times, however, the progression is weakened by unclear or mechanical links. The sentence beginning “Bascially” shifts abruptly from the bag’s appearance to its contents, while the long explanation about work and study repeats the importance of the laptop. Some references, such as “it” and “that,” could be clearer. Use shorter, focused paragraphs and connect each detail directly to the lost bag and the action you want the manager to take.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main situation and include some relevant descriptive language, such as “lion tag,” “adjustable,” and “essential.” However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors sometimes make the letter less clear or less natural: “texis,” “unfortunality,” “preper,” and “percinple” are difficult to interpret, while “I took ride” and “one of texis” are not natural collocations. Repetition of “important” and “work and study” also limits variety. Aim for accurate, conventional phrases for a formal lost-property letter, and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for the taxi journey and the bag’s identifying features would make the vocabulary more effective without requiring unnecessarily complex words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “When I reached home” and the sentence describing the laptop’s importance. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation are noticeable. Examples include “I took ride from airport to my home at yesterday night,” where articles and time phrasing are missing or misplaced, and “I hope you are doing well.I am writing,” where a space or sentence break is needed. The sentence beginning “There are very important files” also lacks a clear grammatical link to the laptop. Practise accurate past-tense narration and article use, and divide long sentences into complete, clearly punctuated units.

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

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