You recently stayed in a hotel and an employee was very helpful to you. Write a letter to the hotel management to tell them what happened. In your letter: - Describe the situation - Explain what happened - Say what you would like the manager to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I’m writing this letter to express my gratitude for the good services and help I received from one of your employees during my stay at your hotel. I had my booking for a deluxe room for two nights and three days last week with my family. On the second night of our stay, my niece started developing a high fever and shivering, so I panicked and called the room service immediately. An attendant called Amit rushed to our room, and I explained the situation to him. I appreciate his prompt action in informing the reception to call for a Doctor. Meanwhile, he brought an oral rehydrating solution to prevent dehydration.
When the doctor visited us, he prescribed some medicines at a local medical shop, so Amit arranged the medication very quickly. So I appreciate his thoughtfulness and agility that prevented any major untoward incident. I wanted to reward him. However, he declined it humbly, saying it was his duty to ensure his guest’s well-being, so I had no other way to remunerate him for his great deed towards my family and me.
Thus, I request you to convey my gratitude to your able employee for his timely help. If possible, I would humbly ask you to pass on a gift to him from my side as a token of appreciation. This was my first time booking with your hotel but certainly not the last. I would love to revisit your hotel and thank you for your co-operation and help.
Yours faithfully,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use uncountable service Original: good services Suggested revision: excellent service Why it matters: 'Service' is uncountable when referring generally to the help provided by a hotel.
- 2. Use correct verb form Original: had my booking for Suggested revision: had booked Why it matters: The simple past verb directly describes making the reservation.
- 3. Use natural request wording Original: informing the reception to call for a Doctor Suggested revision: asking reception to call a doctor Why it matters: The revised phrase uses the natural verbs and removes unnecessary capitalization.
- 4. Choose precise wording Original: agility Suggested revision: quick action Why it matters: 'Quick action' describes the employee's prompt practical response more precisely.
- 5. Place adverb naturally Original: declined it humbly Suggested revision: politely declined Why it matters: This adverb placement is more natural and removes the vague object pronoun.
- 6. Use plural possessive Original: his guest’s well-being Suggested revision: his guests’ well-being Why it matters: The employee's duty concerns hotel guests generally, so the plural possessive is needed.
- 7. Use suitable register Original: remunerate Suggested revision: thank Why it matters: 'Thank him' is natural in a letter of appreciation, whereas 'remunerate' refers to formal payment.
- 8. Use natural expression Original: first time booking with your hotel Suggested revision: first stay at your hotel Why it matters: A guest has a stay at a hotel rather than a booking with it in this context.
- 9. Use concise formal opening Original: I’m writing this letter Suggested revision: I am writing Why it matters: The revised opening is concise and avoids a contraction in this formal letter.
- 10. Clarify the employee name Original: called Suggested revision: named Why it matters: 'Named Amit' makes clear that Amit is the attendant's name.
- 11. Use correct term Original: rehydrating Suggested revision: rehydration Why it matters: 'Oral rehydration solution' is the correct noun phrase for this treatment.
- 12. Improve the transition Original: So I appreciate Suggested revision: I also appreciate Why it matters: 'Also' links this appreciation smoothly to the earlier description of Amit's help.
Suggested Rewrites
- good services excellent service
- had my booking for had booked
- informing the reception to call for a Doctor asking reception to call a doctor
- agility quick action
- declined it humbly politely declined
- his guest’s well-being his guests’ well-being
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter is strongest in its full, specific development of the emergency and the employee's helpful actions, while its appreciative formal tone suits the hotel-management audience well. Its main limitation is occasional over-formal or imprecise phrasing, alongside some repetition in sentence linking. Refine collocations and vary transitions so the praise sounds more natural and the narrative flows with greater polish.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, the situation and assistance are fully developed, and the requested action is specific and appropriately expressed.
Refine the closing by separating the request to reward Amit from the broader promise to return to the hotel.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses clearly from the emergency to Amit's response and the requested recognition, with effective paragraphing overall.
Reduce repeated use of so and connect consecutive events with more varied or implicit transitions.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often precise, although a few choices such as remunerate and able employee sound strained in this context.
Prefer natural expressions such as thank him properly, outstanding employee, and assistance rather than conspicuously formal alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a broad range of sentence forms with generally accurate control, despite a few issues with parallel structure and possessives.
Improve accuracy in coordinated phrases and agreement, for example by aligning developing a fever with shivering and using guests' well-being where appropriate.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently stayed in a hotel and an employee was very helpful to you. Write a letter to the hotel management to tell them what happened. In your letter:
- Describe the situation
- Explain what happened
- Say what you would like the manager to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.