You have purchased some goods from a company and the goods were supposed to be delivered within three days of purchase. Seven days have already gone and you have not received the products yet. Write a letter to a company manager with whom you arranged the delivery of goods. In your letter: - inform him/her what items you have purchased - ask the reason for the delay in delivery - suggest what can be done about the matter
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am Rahul Sharma, the manager of the purchase and procurement division in Delta Bank, Maryland branch, writing to express my concern about the delivery of personal computers and routers I have recently purchased from you. I am hoping to get an update from you immediately. I purchased five Dell PC and two NETGEAR-AC2750 Dual-Band routers and my invoice number is DNR12547A. You personally assured me that you will arrange the delivery in three days, before 25th May to be exact. Unfortunately, it is already 2nd June and I am yet to receive those products! What is the reason for the delay? Is this something to do with your product stock or delivery chain? We need those goods as soon as possible, and I can even arrange for one of our cars to pick up these products from your store. Please update me regarding this. If you fail to deliver the products within the next couple of days, I am afraid, I will have to cancel the order. Expecting your cooperation in this regard. Yours faithfully, Rahul Sharma
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use the plural noun Original: PC Suggested revision: PCs Why it matters: A count of five requires the plural form PCs.
- 2. Backshift the tense Original: will Suggested revision: would Why it matters: Would is needed in reported speech after assured.
- 3. Express the deadline precisely Original: in Suggested revision: within Why it matters: Within correctly means no later than the end of the three-day period.
- 4. Keep a professional tone Original: those products! Suggested revision: those products. Why it matters: A full stop keeps the complaint firm without sounding overly emotional.
- 5. Use natural business wording Original: your product stock Suggested revision: a stock shortage Why it matters: Stock shortage is a more natural phrase for possible product unavailability.
- 6. Clarify the delivery issue Original: chain Suggested revision: service Why it matters: Delivery service is the clearer term for the process being questioned.
- 7. Make the request specific Original: Please update me regarding this Suggested revision: Please update me on the cause of the delay and the revised delivery date Why it matters: The revision states exactly what information the manager should provide.
- 8. Remove the misplaced comma Original: I am afraid, I will Suggested revision: I am afraid I will Why it matters: No comma should separate afraid from its following content clause.
- 9. Complete the closing sentence Original: Expecting your cooperation in this regard Suggested revision: I look forward to your cooperation in this matter Why it matters: The original is a sentence fragment without a finite verb.
- 10. Use clear letter paragraphs Suggested revision: Separate the purpose and order details, the delay questions, the proposed solution, and the closing into distinct paragraphs. Why it matters: The current single block makes the letter's three required functions harder to scan.
Suggested Rewrites
- PC PCs
- will would
- in within
- those products! those products.
- your product stock a stock shortage
- chain service
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully addresses the delayed delivery, specifies the products and invoice, directly asks about the cause, and offers practical remedies, so its purpose is immediately clear. The main limitation is that the formatting and a few forceful phrases make the complaint slightly less polished than its otherwise appropriate formal tone. The priority is to organize the request into clear paragraphs and replace fragments or abrupt questions with courteous complete sentences.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully covered with specific details, and the formal complaint tone is generally appropriate.
Soften the direct questions and ultimatum slightly to maintain a consistently courteous professional relationship with the manager.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses logically from order details to the delay, possible causes, and proposed solutions, but it is presented as one dense block.
Use separate paragraphs for the purchase details, delivery problem, and requested resolution.
Lexical Resource
Specific product and delivery vocabulary conveys the situation precisely, although a few phrases such as “delivery chain” and “get an update” are less natural.
Use more idiomatic formal phrases such as “supply chain,” “receive an update,” and “collect the products from your store.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of sentence structures is mostly accurate, with minor errors in reported tense, plurals, punctuation, and the closing fragment.
Write “five Dell PCs,” use “would arrange” after “assured me,” and turn the final fragment into a complete sentence.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have purchased some goods from a company and the goods were supposed to be delivered within three days of purchase. Seven days have already gone and you have not received the products yet. Write a letter to a company manager with whom you arranged the delivery of goods. In your letter:
- inform him/her what items you have purchased
- ask the reason for the delay in delivery
- suggest what can be done about the matter
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.