Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-27

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 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform you about my missing bag in one of your taxies, which is black in color and taxi number is XY554.

On October 27, 2026, I booked a taxi from your company and the driver droped me at my destination at 5.30 Pm. Around 5.20 Pm, I got a call from my mother, which made me forget about my handbag in the taxi. At night time, I realized about that bag, which contain essential items, such as my credit card and a gold ring.

The bag, which I forget in the taxi is black in color with leather straps. It has two compartments, which includes small pockets in each. There is Guess logo in the top right corner of the bag, with silver outlining.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could contact the taxi driver about the missing item. Please inform me if you get any information about that I will reach out to you to collect the bag.

I would be grateful if you could search my handbag as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Nardeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requirements: it explains that you left the handbag in the taxi after being distracted by a call, describes its colour, leather straps, compartments and Guess logo, and asks the manager to contact the driver and search for it. These details make the purpose clear and give the company useful identifying information. The explanation of how it was lost is understandable, although the timing is confusing: you say the driver dropped you off at 5.30 p.m. but that your mother called at 5.20 p.m., so clarify whether the call happened during the ride. The request for help is clear, but the final two requests repeat the same point; a more specific request for a response or a way to collect the bag would develop the closing more effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence: the opening identifies the problem, the next paragraphs explain the journey and describe the bag, and the closing asks for assistance. Paragraphing also helps the reader locate each part of the message. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical because several sentences rely on “which,” as in “which made me forget” and “which includes small pockets.” Some references are also unclear: “about that” in “if you get any information about that” does not identify the missing bag precisely. The two final requests overlap, so combine them into one concise closing request. Clearer links between the journey, the distraction and the discovery of the loss would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the situation, including useful descriptive terms such as “leather straps,” “compartments,” “credit card” and “silver outlining.” These details help distinguish the bag. There are, however, some inaccurate or unnatural choices that reduce precision: “taxies” is not the usual plural form, “droped” is misspelled, and “I realized about that bag” is not a natural collocation. “Black in color” is understandable but repeated, and “essential items” is quite general when the contents are then specified. Aim for more natural phrases such as “left my handbag in your taxi,” “realised it was missing,” and “the driver dropped me off.” This would make the letter sound more fluent and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentences, including relative clauses such as “which made me forget” and “which contain essential items,” and the meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain. In “the driver droped me at my destination,” the past-tense verb form is incorrect; “the bag, which I forget” also needs a past form. There are agreement and article problems in “two compartments, which includes small pockets” and “There is Guess logo.” The sentence beginning “Please inform me if you get any information” also needs clearer punctuation or restructuring to separate the request from the intended next step. Review past-tense consistency, subject–verb agreement and article use while retaining your attempts at longer sentence forms.

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.