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, I am writing regarding a bag that I left on one of your planes last week. On 24th November, I travelled to London on flight FRC- 2547-A from Sydney. According to my ticket, my seat number was D-5A. The bag contains some important documents which I need immediately. I am hoping you would help me find the lost bag. After I reached my hotel in London, I realised I had left my bag on the plane under the seat in front of me. I felt pretty silly about the mistake. My bag is small in size and is made of brown leather with a zip on the top. Inside the bag, I have put a credit card, a debit card, a book that I was reading titled "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, some car keys, my mobile phone and some important business documents. I need these documents within a few days and they are very important to me. I, therefore, request you to have your lost property department check and see if they have my bag and contact me as soon as possible. I can be reached on my mobile phone at +029940546484 or on my email at [email address]. Thanking you in advance for your kind cooperation. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Sharon Mond
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Align verb forms Original: I am hoping you would help me Suggested revision: I hope you can help me Why it matters: The revised forms express a present request with consistent modality.
- 2. Use formal tone Original: pretty silly Suggested revision: quite embarrassed Why it matters: This wording is more suitable for a formal letter to an airline.
- 3. Remove redundancy Original: small in size Suggested revision: small Why it matters: “Small” already conveys size, so the added phrase is unnecessary.
- 4. Describe the zip precisely Original: on Suggested revision: across Why it matters: This preposition describes the zip’s position on the bag more naturally.
- 5. Use past perfect Original: I have put Suggested revision: I had packed Why it matters: The contents were placed in the bag before it was left on the plane.
- 6. Link reason concisely Original: and they are very important to me Suggested revision: because they are essential Why it matters: This wording connects the urgency directly to the documents’ importance and avoids repetition.
- 7. Use a finite verb Original: Thanking Suggested revision: Thank Why it matters: The sentence needs a finite verb rather than a participle.
- 8. Use airline terminology Original: planes Suggested revision: flights Why it matters: “Flight” refers more precisely to the airline service on which the bag was left.
- 9. Use formal date style Original: 24th Suggested revision: 24 Why it matters: The cardinal date form is concise and conventional in formal British correspondence.
- 10. Make the detail direct Original: According to my ticket, Suggested revision: My ticket shows that Why it matters: This active phrasing introduces the seat information more directly.
- 11. Remove extra wording Original: seat number was Suggested revision: seat was Why it matters: The shorter phrase conveys the identifying seat detail clearly.
- 12. Use precise wording Original: find the lost bag Suggested revision: locate the missing bag Why it matters: This is a more formal and concise expression for the requested search.
Suggested Rewrites
- I am hoping you would help me I hope you can help me
- pretty silly quite embarrassed
- small in size small
- on across
- I have put I had packed
- and they are very important to me because they are essential
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter communicates the loss clearly and provides particularly useful identifying details about the flight, bag, contents, and requested search. Its main weakness is presentation: the response is effectively one long block, repeats the urgency of the documents, and creates a practical inconsistency by listing the mobile phone inside the lost bag while giving that number as a contact. Prioritise clear paragraphing and logically consistent contact details.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All bullet points are fully covered with specific details and an appropriate request, though the proposed mobile contact conflicts with the phone being inside the missing bag.
Provide a reachable alternative telephone number or rely on email, ensuring every practical detail supports the airline's recovery efforts.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a clear chronological and functional sequence, but the single-block presentation and repeated references to the important documents weaken organisation.
Divide the response into paragraphs for the incident, bag description and contents, and requested action, removing repeated statements of urgency.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and suitably specific for a lost-property report, although a few phrases such as 'small in size' and 'on my email' are unnatural.
Use more concise natural phrasing, such as 'a small brown leather bag' and 'by email', while retaining the precise identifying details.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Most sentences are accurate and varied, with only occasional problems in tense choice, modal phrasing, and the fragment 'Thanking you in advance'.
Use consistent present forms for the bag's contents and complete closing sentences, for example 'Thank you in advance for your assistance'.
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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.