You have just spent a weekend staying at a Hotel in London. When you get home you find that you have left a bag at the hotel. Write to the hotel manager. In your letter: - introduce yourself - describe the bag and its content that you left there - explain what you want the manager to do about it
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to inform you that I may have left my duffel bag at your hotel before leaving the place. I am hoping that you would arrange to send the bag to my address. To give you some information about me, my name is Howard Jackson, and I stayed at your hotel from 12th to 14th March. I stayed in room 325 on the second floor. Not sure how I forgot to pick up that bag before leaving for the airport, but by the time I realized that I did not have my duffel bag with me, I was very much on my way to Melbourne. I guess that I have left it just below the bed. About the bag that I have left, it is a white travel bag, with two blue straps around it, and it has only a single belt to hold and carry. It is not a big bag either, and it mostly contains some important personal stuff, like an expensive hair trimmer (given to me as a gift), a Samsung smartphone and some rare pictures of my nephews and nieces. So, please mail that bag to me as soon as you find it. Yours faithfully, Howard Jackson
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use checking out Original: before leaving the place Suggested revision: before checking out Why it matters: This is the natural hotel-specific expression for departing.
- 2. Use clear request Original: I am hoping that you would arrange Suggested revision: I hope you can arrange Why it matters: The modal and tense now match a present request.
- 3. Specify forwarding address Original: send the bag to my address Suggested revision: send the bag to the forwarding address below Why it matters: The request should point the manager to the delivery address needed to act.
- 4. Identify booking clearly Original: To give you some information about me Suggested revision: To help you identify my booking Why it matters: This states why the name and stay dates are being supplied.
- 5. Add sentence subject Original: Not sure how Suggested revision: I am not sure how Why it matters: A formal letter requires a complete sentence with a subject and verb.
- 6. Use take the bag Original: pick up that bag Suggested revision: take the bag Why it matters: "Take" is more natural for remembering luggage when leaving.
- 7. Use already travelling Original: very much on my way Suggested revision: already on my way Why it matters: The original intensifier is unnatural in this travel context.
- 8. Use simple past Original: I guess that I have left Suggested revision: I believe I left Why it matters: The simple past fits the completed hotel stay and sounds appropriately formal.
- 9. Use under bed Original: just below the bed Suggested revision: under the bed Why it matters: "Under the bed" is the natural location phrase.
- 10. Remove hanging topic Original: About the bag that I have left, it is Suggested revision: The missing bag is Why it matters: The direct subject removes the awkward topic construction and unnecessary pronoun.
- 11. Remove comma Original: travel bag, with Suggested revision: travel bag with Why it matters: The restrictive description should not be separated by a comma.
- 12. Use carrying handle Original: only a single belt to hold and carry Suggested revision: a single carrying handle Why it matters: A handle, rather than a belt, is used to hold and carry this bag.
Suggested Rewrites
- before leaving the place before checking out
- I am hoping that you would arrange I hope you can arrange
- send the bag to my address send the bag to the forwarding address below
- To give you some information about me To help you identify my booking
- Not sure how I am not sure how
- pick up that bag take the bag
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly identifies the guest, gives distinctive details about the missing bag and its contents, and makes the requested action explicit. Its main limitations are the one-block organisation, some informal wording for a hotel manager, and the absence of a delivery address or request for confirmation; prioritise a more professional paragraph structure and provide the practical contact or shipping details needed to return the bag.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are well covered through identifying stay details, a recognisable bag description, valuable contents, and a clear request for return.
Include the postal address or ask the manager to contact you to arrange secure delivery and confirm any shipping charge.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information moves sensibly from the purpose and stay details to the bag description and request, but it is presented in one dense paragraph.
Separate the guest details, circumstances of loss, bag contents, and requested action into short functional paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses adequate descriptive vocabulary, though informal words and imprecise item descriptions weaken the professional register.
Replace personal stuff, rare pictures, and a single belt to hold and carry with personal belongings, irreplaceable photographs, and a carrying strap.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of sentence forms keeps meaning clear, but fragments, tense choices, and some overextended clauses reduce accuracy.
Turn Not sure how I forgot into a complete sentence and use I must have left it under the bed for a more accurate deduction.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have just spent a weekend staying at a Hotel in London. When you get home you find that you have left a bag at the hotel. Write to the hotel manager. In your letter:
- introduce yourself
- describe the bag and its content that you left there
- explain what you want the manager to do about it
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.