Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-17

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 letter to express my issue regarding my bag.

Last day I travel from airport to home through taxi which belongs to your company. However, when I reached home then I realized that I forgot my bag in your taxi. My bag,s colour is brown additionally, it is full with my personal lagguage.

I hope you will never disappoint me and assist me to find my bag beacuse in this bag some of my decuments and gifts are present.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main situation: you travelled from the airport by taxi, noticed the bag was missing after arriving home, and ask the manager to help. You also give a basic description and explain that documents and gifts are inside. However, the task is only partially addressed: the bag’s description is limited to its brown colour, and there are no details such as its size, style, or distinctive features. The request is also general rather than actionable; for example, you could ask the company to check the taxi or contact the driver. The response is 60 words below the required minimum, which leaves the explanation and request under-developed. Add relevant details to cover each bullet point fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The ideas appear in a broadly sensible order: you introduce the purpose, explain the journey and loss, describe the bag, and ask for assistance. The linking words “However” and “additionally” show an attempt to connect information. At this level, though, the letter is very brief and presented as one block, so the progression between the explanation, description, and request is not clearly signposted. Some connections are also awkward, such as “when I reached home then I realized,” and the final sentence combines the request with the contents of the bag. Use separate paragraphs for the circumstances, bag details, and requested action, with clear links between them.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the situation, including “taxi,” “airport,” “personal luggage,” “documents,” and “gifts,” so the reader can understand the basic message. However, the range is limited, and several spelling or word-choice errors make parts less clear: “lagguage” and “decuments” are misspelled, while “express my issue” is not a natural way to introduce a lost-property letter. “My bag’s colour is brown” is understandable but could be expressed more naturally and precisely. Build a wider set of phrases for describing belongings and requesting a search, such as “distinctive feature,” “check the vehicle,” and “contact the driver.” Proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “when I reached home then I realized that I forgot my bag,” and the overall meaning is generally recoverable. However, control is uneven. The opening “Last day I travel” has an incorrect time expression and verb form; “I travelled yesterday” would be more accurate. In “when I reached home then,” the clause structure is awkward, and “I forgot my bag” should use a tense that clearly shows the earlier event. There are also problems with articles and sentence construction in “in this bag some of my documents and gifts are present.” Practise past-tense sequencing and use straightforward, complete sentence patterns to make the message clearer.

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

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