You borrowed a book from a public library and the book is now damaged. Write a letter to the librarian to explain the situation. In your letter mention: - details about the book - how it was damaged - what you want to do about it
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, Two weeks ago I borrowed a book from your library. I was excited to have read the book but very disappointed to recently find that it was damaged. I am hoping you will allow me to purchase a new book of the same title as compensation. In relation to the specifics of the book, I borrowed 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' a novel by George Orwell, on 17th July from your library using my library card BM-450124. I have been thoroughly enjoying the book and almost finished it until it got damaged. Unfortunately, On 25th July, three days before the due date to return the novel, I found that it was ruined due to the pouring rain that somehow reached my table placed near the window. I put the book on the table and had been outside the whole time it rained. All of the books on the table absorbed rainwater and the book I borrowed from the library is now unreadable due to the damage the water caused to it. As a solution, and because I really want to express my apology for the incident, I seek your permission to purchase a new book with the same title for the library. I am also hoping that you would not impose any penalty for the incident. Thank you in advance and I hope to hear your reply soon. Yours faithfully, Erica Jong
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use the correct infinitive Original: excited to have read Suggested revision: excited to read Why it matters: The simple infinitive describes the anticipation felt when the book was borrowed.
- 2. Punctuate the appositive Original: 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' a novel Suggested revision: 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', a novel Why it matters: A comma is needed before the appositive phrase identifying the book.
- 3. Lowercase after the comma Original: On Suggested revision: on Why it matters: On is not capitalised after an introductory adverb and comma.
- 4. Use a natural date phrase Original: due date to return the novel Suggested revision: due date for returning the novel Why it matters: Due date for returning is the more natural noun-and-preposition combination.
- 5. Use concise weather wording Original: the pouring rain Suggested revision: heavy rain Why it matters: Heavy rain expresses the same meaning more concisely in this formal explanation.
- 6. Describe the damage naturally Original: absorbed rainwater Suggested revision: became soaked Why it matters: Became soaked is a more natural description of what happened to the books.
- 7. Remove redundant wording Original: due to the damage the water caused to it Suggested revision: because of the water damage Why it matters: The concise replacement avoids repeating damage, water, and the book's pronoun.
- 8. Match hope with will Original: I am also hoping that you would not impose Suggested revision: I also hope that you will not impose Why it matters: Hope about a future decision naturally takes will rather than would here.
- 9. Use the correct collocation Original: hear your reply soon Suggested revision: hear from you soon Why it matters: Hear from someone is the standard expression for receiving a response.
- 10. Use a concise discovery phrase Original: very disappointed to recently find Suggested revision: very disappointed to discover Why it matters: Discover expresses finding the damage more directly and naturally.
- 11. Use the simple hope form Original: I am hoping you will allow me Suggested revision: I hope you will allow me Why it matters: The simple present is more natural for this formal request.
- 12. Name a replacement copy Original: book Suggested revision: copy Why it matters: Copy is the precise term for another physical book with the same title.
Suggested Rewrites
- excited to have read excited to read
- 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' a novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', a novel
- On on
- due date to return the novel due date for returning the novel
- the pouring rain heavy rain
- absorbed rainwater became soaked
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fulfils the task thoroughly by identifying the book, explaining the rain damage in detail and proposing a replacement, while maintaining an appropriately respectful tone. Its main limitation is overlong, repetitive development and uneven tense control, particularly around reading the book and discovering the damage. Use concise paragraphs for the book details, incident and remedy, and narrate the sequence consistently in the past tense.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The book, cause of damage and proposed remedy are all developed clearly, with an appropriate formal request to the librarian.
Keep the damage account more concise and state directly that you will replace the book or pay the library's required charge.
Coherence and Cohesion
The purpose and sequence are logical, but the one-block format and repeated references to the book and damage make the letter less fluent.
Create distinct paragraphs for identification, the accident, and the proposed resolution, removing repeated explanations.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is sufficiently varied for apology, damage and compensation, though some collocations are awkward or repetitive.
Prefer natural phrases such as "rainwater reached the table," "water-damaged" and "offer my sincere apologies."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence forms is attempted, but tense selection, punctuation and clause construction are uneven in several places.
Narrate the event with consistent past forms, such as "I had almost finished it when it was damaged" and "I was outside while it rained."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You borrowed a book from a public library and the book is now damaged. Write a letter to the librarian to explain the situation. In your letter mention:
- details about the book
- how it was damaged
- what you want to do about it
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.