Write a letter to the manager of a cinema (movie theatre) about a jacket you have left behind after a film. In your letter: - Describe the jacket - Describe where you were seated - Explain what you want to be done
Sample Response
Dear theatre management,
I am writing because I forgot my jacket during a recent showing at your cinema. The jacket is made from handmade hemp so it is rough and very distinctive. It is dyed blue and there is embroidery on the sleeves of brightly colored flowers.
I was in cinema 6 for the afternoon session of King Kong. I ordered my tickets online beforehand and I just double-checked to confirm that my friend and I were seated in row K, seats 12 and 13, near the center of the cinema.
I would advise you to check under the chairs in the cinema and in your lost and found section. If you are able to locate my jacket, please give me a phone call at 781-334-5054 and I will drive over to pick it up. If it is more convenient, you can also mail it to the return address on this envelope.
Thank you for your assistance.
Regards,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Address the manager directly Original: Dear theatre management, Suggested revision: Dear Cinema Manager, Why it matters: The task asks for a letter to the manager, so this salutation identifies the recipient more directly.
- 2. Use accurate event phrase Original: forgot my jacket Suggested revision: left my jacket behind Why it matters: The writer forgot to take the jacket rather than forgot the jacket itself.
- 3. Remove illogical modifier Original: made from handmade hemp Suggested revision: made from hemp Why it matters: “Handmade” describes a manufactured object, not hemp as a raw material.
- 4. Describe texture naturally Original: so it is rough Suggested revision: and has a rough texture Why it matters: This wording describes the jacket’s physical texture more precisely.
- 5. Fix modifier placement Original: embroidery on the sleeves of brightly colored flowers Suggested revision: brightly colored flower embroidery on the sleeves Why it matters: The original placement incorrectly suggests that the flowers have sleeves.
- 6. Capitalize room label Original: cinema Suggested revision: Cinema Why it matters: The numbered auditorium label functions as a proper designation here.
- 7. Make a polite request Original: I would advise you to Suggested revision: Could you please Why it matters: The customer should request the manager’s help rather than advise the manager what to do.
- 8. Specify likely location Original: chairs in the cinema Suggested revision: seats in Cinema 6 Why it matters: This wording uses the natural term for cinema seating and repeats the relevant auditorium.
- 9. Use standard facility term Original: lost and found section Suggested revision: lost-and-found area Why it matters: The hyphenated compound and “area” form a more natural expression.
- 10. Use concise request Original: give me a phone call Suggested revision: call me Why it matters: The shorter verb phrase is more direct and idiomatic.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear theatre management, Dear Cinema Manager,
- forgot my jacket left my jacket behind
- made from handmade hemp made from hemp
- so it is rough and has a rough texture
- embroidery on the sleeves of brightly colored flowers brightly colored flower embroidery on the sleeves
- cinema Cinema
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter is direct, well organised, and fully develops the jacket description, seating location, and requested action with precise practical details. Language is flexible and highly controlled, with only minor opportunities to make a few expressions more natural and the salutation more conventional. The highest-priority refinement is to polish those small register and phrasing choices while preserving the concise structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, every bullet point is fully addressed, and the requested action is practical and appropriately detailed.
Use a more conventional salutation to the cinema manager and slightly soften the instruction to check specific locations.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter follows a clear sequence with focused paragraphs, effective referencing, and cohesive devices that do not draw attention to themselves.
Retain this paragraph structure while making the transition into the requested action marginally smoother.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, precise, and natural, particularly in the physical description and arrangements for recovering the jacket.
Refine the placement of brightly colored flowers so the embroidery description cannot be momentarily misread.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used accurately and flexibly, with punctuation and clause control consistently supporting clarity.
Continue this level of control while checking that long conditional or coordinated sentences remain as concise as possible.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Write a letter to the manager of a cinema (movie theatre) about a jacket you have left behind after a film. In your letter:
- Describe the jacket
- Describe where you were seated
- Explain what you want to be done
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.