Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-20

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 6.0)

Dear sir or madam,

I am writing this letter request for my lost bag. I went for a party last night. Me and my friends coming out from club around midnight. I take one of your company taxi and in my hand there was a bag also, I was pretty drunk, as we coming home I started talking to your taxi driver his name was Alex. Moreover, I reached home then I realize I forgot my bag in the taxi.

Furthermore, it is a black leather bag which is 12 inch wide and 8 inch in length. In addition, it also have a metal handle on the top and back of the bag it have two strips.

Please, ask your employees if they find any bag or maybe reported to your lost and found department. I need that bag because with 2 days in have to leave for the business trip.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you

Navjot

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three points: you explain that you left the bag in the taxi after travelling home, describe its colour, material, size and features, and ask the manager to check with employees and lost property. These details make the request relevant and understandable. The explanation of how it was lost is less fully developed, however: the sequence involving the party, club, driver and journey is somewhat unclear, and it would help to state directly that you left the bag on the seat or in the taxi when you got out. The urgency of your business trip adds a useful reason for requesting help. A more explicit, courteous request for the manager to contact you if the bag is found would strengthen the letter further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a recognisable progression from explaining the journey, to describing the bag, to asking for assistance, followed by a closing. This overall arrangement helps the reader locate the key information. However, several linking expressions—“Moreover,” “Furthermore,” and “In addition”—are used mechanically, and some do not show a clear relationship between ideas. The first paragraph also moves quickly between the party, the taxi and the driver, making the account harder to follow. Use clearer time markers such as “After leaving the club” and “When I arrived home,” and group the journey details together. A separate, concise paragraph for the request and contact details would make the letter’s progression more controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main details, including “black leather bag,” “metal handle,” “strips,” and “business trip.” These specific terms help the manager identify the item. However, some word choices and collocations are noticeably inaccurate or informal, such as “I am writing this letter request for my lost bag,” “coming out from club,” and “reported to your lost and found department.” The repeated use of “bag” and basic linking phrases also limits flexibility. Choose more natural expressions for a formal enquiry, such as “I am writing to enquire about my missing bag” and “check whether it has been handed in to your lost-property department.” More precise vocabulary would make the request sound clearer and more professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, and the reader can generally understand the events. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction are frequent enough to affect clarity. For example, “Me and my friends coming out from club” lacks a correctly formed verb, while “I take one of your company taxi” and “it also have” show problems with tense and agreement. The sentence beginning “as we coming home” is also difficult to follow grammatically. Practise writing the events consistently in the past tense: “My friends and I left the club around midnight, and I took one of your taxis.” Check each sentence for a subject and finite verb, and use full stops to separate complete ideas.

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.