You recently attended a meeting at a hotel. When you returned home, you found you had left some important papers at the hotel. Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter: - say where you think you left the papers - explain why they are so important - tell the manager what you want him/her to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this letter to inform you that I have left some important papers when I checked out of your hotel about a couple of days ago. I am hoping that you would be kind enough to send those papers to my address via the postal service. I am Lucas Foster, and I stayed in room number 434 on the sixth floor of your hotel. I am assuming that I must have left the papers in one of the drawers of your TV desk in a hurry when I needed to attend an urgent meeting with some of my clients in the City Hall. The documents that I left in your hotel room are utterly important because they contain all the important terms and conditions, which I agreed upon with two of our new partners to form a new business relationship. The problem is, I can not really remember all those terms and conditions, so I need to get those documents back urgently. Therefore, I would like to request you to find those documents for me and mail them to me at your earliest convenience. Also, please do not forget to charge the mailing cost from my credit card that you already have on file. Yours faithfully, Lucas Foster
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Make wording concise Original: I am hoping that Suggested revision: I hope Why it matters: The simple present expresses this polite request more directly and naturally.
- 2. Introduce yourself naturally Original: I am Lucas Foster Suggested revision: My name is Lucas Foster Why it matters: This is the conventional phrasing for introducing yourself in a formal letter.
- 3. Use natural emphasis Original: utterly Suggested revision: extremely Why it matters: “Extremely important” is a more natural formal collocation.
- 4. Avoid repetition Original: all the important terms and conditions Suggested revision: the terms and conditions Why it matters: Removing the repeated “important” makes the explanation more concise without changing its meaning.
- 5. Correct the preposition Original: upon Suggested revision: on Why it matters: The terms were agreed on with the partners, so “on” is the appropriate preposition here.
- 6. Correct clause structure Original: The problem is, I can not Suggested revision: The problem is that I cannot Why it matters: A “that” clause completes the structure, and “cannot” is written as one word.
- 7. Correct the preposition Original: from Suggested revision: to Why it matters: An expense is charged to a card, not from it.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: I am writing this letter to inform you that I have left some important papers when I checked out of your hotel about a couple of days ago. Suggested revision: I am writing to inform you that I left some important papers at your hotel when I checked out a couple of days ago. Why it matters: The simple past fits the completed event, and the revised time phrase removes the redundant wording.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: I am assuming that I must have left the papers in one of the drawers of your TV desk in a hurry when I needed to attend an urgent meeting with some of my clients in the City Hall. Suggested revision: I believe I left the papers in one of the drawers of the TV desk when I hurried out to attend an urgent meeting with clients at City Hall. Why it matters: The revision removes redundant uncertainty and clarifies that the writer, rather than the papers, was in a hurry.
- 10. Group the required details Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for where the papers were left, why they matter, and the action requested from the manager. Why it matters: Grouping each required point would make this formal request easier to scan and follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- I am hoping that I hope
- I am Lucas Foster My name is Lucas Foster
- utterly extremely
- all the important terms and conditions the terms and conditions
- upon on
- The problem is, I can not The problem is that I cannot
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter achieves its purpose very effectively by identifying the likely location of the papers, explaining their urgency, and giving the manager clear instructions in an appropriately formal tone. Its main weakness is occasional wordiness and awkward phrasing, including unnecessary repetition of 'important' and 'documents.' Prioritize tighter, more natural wording to make an already clear request more polished and professional.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All bullet points are fully developed with specific, relevant details, and the formal request is consistently appropriate for a hotel manager.
Refine the opening so the timing and circumstances of leaving the papers are stated more directly and precisely.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter follows a clear sequence from the situation and location to the importance of the papers and the requested action.
Use paragraph breaks to make the three main functions of the letter even easier to identify at a glance.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied and specific for the situation, though repetition and a few awkward combinations reduce precision.
Avoid repeated wording such as 'important papers' and 'important terms and conditions' by using concise alternatives like 'confidential documents' and 'agreed terms'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are used with good control, while a few tense, article, and phrasing problems remain noticeable but non-impeding.
Improve accuracy in time references and constructions, for example by writing 'when I checked out a couple of days ago' rather than 'when I checked out ... about a couple of days ago'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently attended a meeting at a hotel. When you returned home, you found you had left some important papers at the hotel. Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter:
- say where you think you left the papers
- explain why they are so important
- tell the manager what you want him/her to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.