You travelled by a long-distance bus recently and your suitcase was damaged. Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter: - inform the bus company of when and to where you travelled - describe your suitcase and what happened to it - explain why the company should pay for a new suitcase
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, My name is Sameed QureshiI am Sameed Qureshi, a regularloyal customer of your bus service, writing to bring to your attention the damage to my suitcasebring your attention to property damage while travelling by one of your buses from Hamburg to Frankfurt on 24th February 2025. I am hoping to receive compensation for the damage and would expect you to issue a show-cause letter to the person responsible. Regarding the incident, I took a bus (number BT5801) on 24th February 2025 and the bus left the Hamburg Central Bus Station at 7:30 am. DeleteLike most travellers, I handed my suitcase to a member of the bus staffsubmitted my suitcase to a bus staff who placedkept it in the luggage compartment. When the bus arrived at the Frankfurt bus terminalFrankfurt terminal, I was shocked to discover that my suitcase was severely damaged. It was a maroon suitcase that my dad hadhas given me as a present. Therefore, it has sentimental valueHence it has a sentimental value to me. It is an expensive suitcase made by Briggs & Rileymade by Briggs & Riley company. Since I handed over the suitcaseSince I have submitted the suitcase to one of your employees before the journey beganbefore embarking on this journey, I expect you to pay me an amount equal to the fair valuereimburse me the amount equivalent to the fair value of my suitcase. Please find enclosed thePlease find the enclosed purchase receipt forof the suitcase. I have already decided that if you fail to pay me for my loss within the next 14 days, I shall institute legal proceedings against your company in a small claims court. I look forward to your prompt responseI am anticipating immediate remedial action. Yours faithfully, Sameed Qureshi
Why this response received Band 7.0
The complaint has a clear purpose, supplies precise journey and suitcase details, and presents a persuasive basis for compensation in a suitably formal style. Its principal limitation is that the physical damage itself is only labelled severe rather than described, while some legalistic wording and inaccurate collocations sound unnatural. Describe the actual damage and use more measured, idiomatic complaint language to strengthen credibility.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The journey, suitcase, and case for compensation are all addressed clearly, but the nature of the damage is insufficiently specified.
State exactly what was damaged, such as a broken wheel, torn shell, or unusable zip, and keep the requested remedy firm but proportionate.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response progresses logically from the incident to the suitcase's value, the compensation claim, and a concluding deadline.
Use distinct paragraphs for the incident, justification, and requested resolution to sharpen the organisation.
Lexical Resource
The letter demonstrates a broad formal vocabulary, though several choices are overly legalistic or collocationally inaccurate.
Prefer natural phrases such as bring the damage to your attention, handed my suitcase to a staff member, and compensate me for its value.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex structures communicates the complaint clearly, but article, tense, and noun-form errors occur in several sentences.
Improve control of countable nouns and narrative tense, particularly in references to staff, the company name, and handing over the suitcase.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You travelled by a long-distance bus recently and your suitcase was damaged. Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter:
- inform the bus company of when and to where you travelled
- describe your suitcase and what happened to it
- explain why the company should pay for a new suitcase
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.