Last week you were on a flight to London. When you left the plane, you left a bag and did not remember it until you reached your hotel. Write a letter to the airline. In your letter: - explain what happened - describe the bag and its contents - say what you would like the airline to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, Last week, I took one of your direct flights to fly from Kuala Lumpur to London. My flight was on 27th June and the flight number was NR-15478. But, unfortunately, when I left the plane, I left my cross-body bag in it. However, I came to know about the lost bag only after I had arrived at my hotel when I needed to show my reservation documents to the hotel authority. I always hang that men’s bag around my shoulder, but, when I was flying in your aircraft and sat near block D, I, unfortunately, left it in the overhead locker above the seats. And that’s probably what caused me to forget about the bag. To give you some idea about my bag and its contents, it is a brown colour leather bag which is about 10 inches wide, 12 inches long and 6 inches in diameter and is made by Kenneth Cole. The bag contains important documents from my office, copies of my travel documents, as well as personal items like a hair clipper (comb), a trimmer and an ebook reader. So, once you find the bag, please give me a call and then courier it to my office address which is attached on one side of the bag at your earliest convenience. If this is not possible, I can visit your office and collect it myself. Yours faithfully, Mitchel Moore
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove repetition Original: to fly from Kuala Lumpur to London Suggested revision: from Kuala Lumpur to London Why it matters: The verb 'took' already expresses travelling on the flight.
- 2. Use concise transition Original: But, unfortunately Suggested revision: Unfortunately Why it matters: The single transition links the event clearly without redundant coordination.
- 3. Clarify the location Original: bag in it Suggested revision: bag on board Why it matters: 'On board' refers to the aircraft more naturally and clearly.
- 4. Use natural phrasing Original: came to know about the lost bag Suggested revision: realised that the bag was missing Why it matters: This is the natural expression for becoming aware of the loss.
- 5. Name the recipient Original: authority Suggested revision: receptionist Why it matters: This identifies the person who would normally check reservation documents more precisely.
- 6. Use clear reference Original: that men’s bag Suggested revision: the bag Why it matters: The demonstrative and gender label are unnecessary and make the reference awkward.
- 7. Correct adjective phrase Original: brown colour leather bag Suggested revision: brown leather bag Why it matters: The colour adjective directly modifies the material noun phrase.
- 8. Use correct dimension Original: 6 inches in diameter Suggested revision: 6 inches deep Why it matters: A rectangular bag is described by depth rather than diameter.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: So, once you find the bag, please give me a call and then courier it to my office address which is attached on one side of the bag at your earliest convenience. Suggested revision: Once you find the bag, please call me and send it by courier to the office address shown on the label attached to one side of the bag. Why it matters: The rewrite removes the misplaced closing phrase and clarifies where the address appears.
- 10. Group letter functions Suggested revision: Divide the body into paragraphs for the loss circumstances, the bag description and contents, and the requested action. Why it matters: Clear grouping would make the three requested points easier for the airline to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- to fly from Kuala Lumpur to London from Kuala Lumpur to London
- But, unfortunately Unfortunately
- bag in it bag on board
- came to know about the lost bag realised that the bag was missing
- authority receptionist
- that men’s bag the bag
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fulfils its practical purpose very effectively by supplying precise flight details, a thorough description of the missing bag, and clear options for its return. Its strongest content is weakened by one-block organisation, repetitive connectors, and a few imprecise expressions. Separate the three required points into paragraphs and streamline the wording so the request reads more naturally and professionally.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully developed with specific, useful details, and the formal request to the airline is clear throughout.
Remove minor redundant explanation so the essential loss and recovery details are even more direct.
Coherence and Cohesion
The account moves logically from the flight and loss to the bag description and requested action, but paragraphing is absent and some connectors are repetitive.
Create a separate paragraph for each required point and reduce repeated use of but, however, and so.
Lexical Resource
A broad, task-appropriate range describes the flight, bag, contents, and delivery request clearly, despite a few imprecise choices.
Use more exact terms for details such as seat or row D, the bag's depth, and the grooming items.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex time clauses, relative clauses, and conditional structures are used with generally good control, although some sentences are awkwardly constructed.
Revise cumbersome clauses, especially the sentence beginning when I was flying, and avoid unnecessary commas after coordinating conjunctions.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Last week you were on a flight to London. When you left the plane, you left a bag and did not remember it until you reached your hotel. Write a letter to the airline. In your letter:
- explain what happened
- describe the bag and its contents
- say what you would like the airline to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.