People in your area are having problems with their internet connection. Write a letter to the company which provides the connection. In your letter: - describe the problems - explain how it is affecting people - say what the company should do to help
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to let you know that we have been experiencing a disruptive internet connection in our area for the last two weeks. We are very concerned about the unstable internet connectivity, and the inconvenience is hampering our work and life to a great extent. I hope you will investigate the problem and take the appropriate steps to solve it. While the average internet speed is unbelievably slow now, we often experience no connectivity at all. The average download speed in the past was more than 50MB/s which has dropped to less than 2MB/s these days. There is little hope for sharing large files and videos and people who work from home are suffering immensely due to this sluggish connection. People who make video calls are the worst sufferer. I believe it is your responsibility to make sure things like this are addressed promptly. I assume that in order to maintain user trust, your team needs to work very hard to make sure this does not happen again. Please check the cables and routers installed in our area to find and solve the problem. I hope you will take steps to prove that you are worthy of our trust. Yours faithfully, David Buchanan
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Separate the salutation Original: Dear Sir or Madam, I am Suggested revision: Dear Sir or Madam, I am Why it matters: The greeting should appear on its own line before the complaint begins.
- 2. Describe service naturally Original: a disruptive internet connection Suggested revision: an unreliable internet connection Why it matters: A connection is unreliable or disrupted rather than inherently disruptive.
- 3. Use concise service term Original: connectivity Suggested revision: service Why it matters: The replacement is clearer and avoids abstract technical wording.
- 4. Use natural parallel phrase Original: our work and life Suggested revision: our work and daily lives Why it matters: The plural phrase matches the effects on multiple residents.
- 5. Use concise adverb Original: to a great extent Suggested revision: significantly Why it matters: The adverb expresses the degree more directly.
- 6. Remove unnecessary article Original: the appropriate steps Suggested revision: appropriate steps Why it matters: The request refers generally to suitable action rather than previously specified steps.
- 7. Use issue collocation Original: solve Suggested revision: resolve Why it matters: A service problem is normally resolved rather than solved.
- 8. Use measured complaint tone Original: unbelievably Suggested revision: extremely Why it matters: The replacement is forceful but more professional and objective.
- 9. Join trend clauses clearly Original: 50MB/s which Suggested revision: 50 MB/s, and it Why it matters: The conjunction and comma correctly connect the past figure with the current decline.
- 10. State effect directly Original: There is little hope for sharing Suggested revision: It is almost impossible to share Why it matters: The replacement describes the practical consequence clearly.
- 11. Separate coordinated clauses Original: large files and videos and people Suggested revision: large files and videos, and people Why it matters: A comma helps distinguish the object list from the following independent clause.
- 12. Fix plural complement Original: sufferer Suggested revision: affected Why it matters: The plural subject needs a plural or collective complement, and “worst affected” is natural here.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Sir or Madam, I am Dear Sir or Madam, I am
- a disruptive internet connection an unreliable internet connection
- connectivity service
- our work and life our work and daily lives
- to a great extent significantly
- the appropriate steps appropriate steps
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter gives a precise account of the connection failures, quantifies the speed reduction, explains the effects on remote workers and video callers, and requests practical technical checks. Its main limitation is an occasionally confrontational and repetitive tone, alongside a few awkward expressions; the highest-priority improvement is to organise the three functions into separate paragraphs and finish with a firm but professional request for prompt repair.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear and all three bullet points are fully developed with concrete evidence, affected users, and a specific request to inspect cables and routers.
Request a repair timeline or service update so the desired company response is even more explicit and actionable.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses logically from the problem to its effects and the requested action, but a single paragraph and repeated uses of "make sure" reduce polish.
Use one short paragraph for each bullet point and replace repeated wording with direct transitions between problem, impact, and solution.
Lexical Resource
A good range of technical and impact vocabulary is used accurately, though phrases such as "disruptive internet connection," "little hope for sharing," and "worst sufferer" are not fully natural.
Use idiomatic alternatives such as "intermittent connection," "unable to share large files," and "most severely affected."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are generally well controlled, with occasional agreement and punctuation errors that do not impede meaning.
Correct forms such as "video callers are the worst affected" and add a comma before the non-defining clause following "50 MB/s."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
People in your area are having problems with their internet connection. Write a letter to the company which provides the connection. In your letter:
- describe the problems
- explain how it is affecting people
- say what the company should do to help
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.