Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-03

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,

This is to bring to your attention that I rode a taxi yesterday on my way back from the work and I forgot my black bag in the taxi. The bag has alot of things including personal and work stuff.

Yesterday, I took the taxi from No Frills, Downton Toronto to my house at 123 Church St., Toronto. It was a white Hyundai Elantra. I forgot my black Puma Bag which has white strips on it. I just bought it recently on my birthday in August. It has my laptop, wallet and alot of other things. I need my laptop for everyday work as my job is very tech-savy.

I request you to locate this bag on immediate basis as it will affect my everyday chores at my job. I have been taking rides from your company from last 2 years and being a loyal customer, I expect an immediate action. If possible, please share the driver contact information, as it will help me to locate the bag easily.

Looking forward to your response.

Best Regards,

Prabh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter clearly covers all three requested points. You explain how the bag was left behind, identify it with useful details such as its colour, Puma branding and white stripes, and ask the manager to locate it and share the driver’s contact information. The taxi route and vehicle description also give the company practical clues. Your request is clear, although “immediate action” is quite forceful for a formal complaint, and the impact on your work could be explained more specifically. To strengthen the response further, state whether you have a receipt or approximate journey time, if known, and close with a courteous request to contact you if the bag is found. Overall, the purpose and relevant details are consistently clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The information is arranged in a sensible sequence: you introduce the problem, provide journey and bag details, then make your request. Separate paragraphs help the reader follow these stages, and phrases such as “Yesterday” and “If possible” guide the progression. The organisation is coherent, but some links between details feel mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “I” at the start of sentences and the shift from the bag’s description to its contents. The final paragraph also combines urgency, customer history and a request for driver details without clearly prioritising them. For stronger progression, group all identifying information together and use a more direct transition into the action you want the manager to take.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the situation and identify the item, including “personal and work stuff,” “white strips,” “locate,” and “loyal customer.” Specific nouns such as “laptop,” “wallet,” and “Hyundai Elantra” make the account concrete. However, several choices are informal or imprecise for a formal letter: “alot of things,” “work stuff,” and “everyday chores at my job” do not express the intended meaning naturally. “Tech-savy” is also misspelled, and “on immediate basis” is an awkward collocation. These choices do not prevent understanding, but more precise formal phrasing would improve control and flexibility. Aim to describe the consequences as an effect on your work rather than on “chores.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The letter includes both simple sentences and more developed structures, such as “I need my laptop for everyday work as my job is very tech-savy” and the conditional request beginning “If possible.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and the past-tense account is generally understandable. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain: “from last 2 years” needs a different time construction, and “I rode a taxi” would be more naturally expressed with an article or a different verb pattern. The opening sentence is also long and would be clearer if divided. Review articles, prepositions and sentence boundaries, while retaining the useful mix of sentence forms already present.

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

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