You hired a car from a company, and while you are driving on holiday, you had a minor accident. You will have to write to the company to explain it. In your letter: - say when and where you hired it? - Describe how the accident happened? - Say what action you took after the accident?
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am Ankitha, a software Engineer. I am writing this epistle to express my discontent towards the minor damage to the car which was hired by me and it is also repaired.
Let me expound on the scenario. I planned to visit Mahabalipuram for a short weekend trip which is 50 miles from Chennai, along with my companions. Unfortunately, my car was under repair, and I had to rent a car from Hyundai Rentals for two days. I made a visit to your shop on Friday at 3 PM to one of your branches which is situated in the Downtown.
My friends and I started the journey around 6 PM to our destination, and I was behind the driver’s seat. All of a sudden, a heavy truck on the opposite side of the road exceeded its speed limit and eventually lost control. Within seconds, it was approaching us with extreme speed. I hit the brakes, titled the vehicle to the left, and collided with the tree on the side. Thus the floodlights were broken, and fortunately, none of us had any injuries.
Immediately, we went to the nearby mechanic store and supplanted the lights, and the vehicle was in an optimal condition to proceed with the rest of the journey. We enjoyed our trip and did not face any other challenges with the automobile.
I apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your consideration.
Yours faithfully,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use direct wording Original: expound on the scenario Suggested revision: explain what happened Why it matters: Direct wording is more appropriate for a practical complaint letter.
- 2. Use a concise verb Original: made a visit to your shop Suggested revision: went Why it matters: The verb “went” avoids the awkward expression “made a visit.”
- 3. Remove the article Original: in the Downtown Suggested revision: downtown Why it matters: “Downtown” is used without “the” when it functions as a location adverb.
- 4. Clarify who was driving Original: behind Suggested revision: in Why it matters: “In the driver’s seat” shows that the writer was driving, whereas “behind” suggests a different seat.
- 5. Use continuous action Original: exceeded its speed limit Suggested revision: was exceeding the speed limit Why it matters: The continuous past form correctly describes the truck’s action during the incident.
- 6. Use correct preposition Original: with extreme speed Suggested revision: at high speed Why it matters: The standard collocation is “at high speed.”
- 7. Correct the action verb Original: titled Suggested revision: steered Why it matters: “Steered” accurately describes changing the vehicle’s direction to avoid the truck.
- 8. Clarify the location Original: the tree on the side Suggested revision: a tree at the roadside Why it matters: This wording identifies the object and its location more naturally.
- 9. Show the result clearly Original: Thus the floodlights Suggested revision: As a result, the floodlights Why it matters: “As a result” clearly links the damage to the collision and requires a following comma.
- 10. Use natural structure Original: none of us had any injuries Suggested revision: none of us was injured Why it matters: This passive structure is the natural way to state that nobody was hurt.
- 11. Use correct place name Original: mechanic store Suggested revision: repair shop Why it matters: A place that repairs vehicles is naturally called a “repair shop.”
- 12. Use the correct verb Original: supplanted Suggested revision: replaced Why it matters: “Replaced” means fitting new lights, while “supplanted” is unsuitable in this context.
Suggested Rewrites
- expound on the scenario explain what happened
- made a visit to your shop went
- in the Downtown downtown
- behind in
- exceeded its speed limit was exceeding the speed limit
- with extreme speed at high speed
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter is well structured and gives a detailed, easy-to-follow account of when and where the car was hired, how the collision occurred, and what happened afterward. The main limitation is inaccurate and overly elaborate vocabulary, which sometimes makes the account sound unnatural or changes the intended meaning. Prioritise plain, precise wording, especially when identifying the damage and describing the repair.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three required points are developed clearly, and the formal register is generally appropriate for addressing the rental company.
State the reporting purpose more directly at the start and identify the hired vehicle more precisely.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence from hiring the car to the accident, repair, and apology is logical and supported by effective paragraphing.
Reduce formulaic transitions and keep each sentence tightly focused on the chronological account.
Lexical Resource
There is a good attempt at varied vocabulary, but frequent miscollocations and inaccurate choices reduce precision and naturalness.
Prefer accurate everyday terms such as report, headlights, and replaced over epistle, floodlights, and supplanted.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The writer uses a range of complex structures with generally clear meaning, although article, preposition, and clause-control errors remain noticeable.
Check articles, relative clauses, and sentence coordination carefully to make complex sentences consistently accurate.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You hired a car from a company, and while you are driving on holiday, you had a minor accident. You will have to write to the company to explain it. In your letter:
- say when and where you hired it?
- Describe how the accident happened?
- Say what action you took after the accident?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.