You have just spent a week with a friend on holiday. When you got home, you realised you had left your wallet there. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - thank your friend for the holiday - explain that you left your wallet in their house - give them instructions on how to send it back to you
Sample Response
Dear John, Hope this letter finds you well. I have landed safely in Dubai. I really enjoyed the holiday I spent with you guys. This was one of the best holidays ever. I am writing to thank you and to request you for the wallet I left at your house. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for having me at your place and making the trip so special. Last week was hands-down the best time of my life as I have never witnessed such a beautiful place and a vibrant culture before. Also, the food you cooked for me was delicious and celestial. I already miss the flavour and taste! When I reached Dubai, I realized I left my wallet at your house. I believe it was sitting atop your piano when I was packing my stuff and I forgot to pick it up in a hurry, luckily my passport was not in the wallet, so I was still able to travel. Still, there are some important items in my wallet, so I would request you to courier the purse to me as soon as possible. You can send it to my office address as I spend most of my time there. Say hello to all. Warm wishes, Sam
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete sentence Original: Hope this letter finds you well. Suggested revision: I hope this letter finds you well. Why it matters: Adding the subject makes the sentence more complete.
- 2. Friendly but cleaner Original: you guys Suggested revision: you and your family Why it matters: This is still warm but more suitable for a letter.
- 3. Request pattern Original: to request you for the wallet Suggested revision: to ask you to send back the wallet Why it matters: “Ask you to” is the correct structure here.
- 4. Less intense Original: from the bottom of my heart Suggested revision: very much Why it matters: The original is warm but slightly too dramatic for this simple thank-you.
- 5. Past perfect Original: as I have never witnessed Suggested revision: as I had never experienced Why it matters: Use past perfect when referring to an earlier experience before the holiday.
- 6. Overstated adjective Original: delicious and celestial Suggested revision: delicious Why it matters: “Celestial” sounds unnatural when describing home-cooked food in this context.
- 7. Past perfect Original: I realized I left Suggested revision: I realized I had left Why it matters: Use past perfect for the leaving that happened before the realization.
- 8. Comma splice Original: in a hurry, luckily Suggested revision: in a hurry. Luckily, Why it matters: These are two complete ideas and should be separated.
- 9. Natural request Original: courier the purse Suggested revision: send the wallet by courier Why it matters: This uses the correct object and a natural verb phrase.
- 10. Add full address Original: my office address Suggested revision: which is Office 14, Marina Tower, Dubai Why it matters: The friend needs the exact address to send the wallet back.
- 11. Offer payment Original: as soon as possible Suggested revision: and I will transfer the courier fee to you immediately Why it matters: This makes the return instructions more complete and considerate.
- 12. Avoid repetition Original: flavour and taste Suggested revision: flavour Why it matters: “Flavour” and “taste” repeat the same idea.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope this letter finds you well. I hope this letter finds you well.
- you guys you and your family
- to request you for the wallet to ask you to send back the wallet
- from the bottom of my heart very much
- as I have never witnessed as I had never experienced
- delicious and celestial delicious
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter thanks the friend for the holiday, explains where the wallet was left, and asks for it to be sent back. The purpose is achieved, but the return instructions are not very complete because no exact address or delivery details are given.
Add the full office address, preferred courier method, and offer to pay the delivery cost.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response follows a sensible order from thanks to wallet explanation and return request. It is written as one block, and one long sentence joins several ideas with a comma splice.
Use short paragraphs and split the wallet explanation into two clear sentences.
Lexical Resource
The tone is friendly and expressive, with good informal phrases such as “hands-down”. Some choices are unnatural or excessive, including “celestial”, “request you for the wallet”, and “courier the purse”.
Use natural informal wording while keeping the request polite and clear.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is clear, but there are issues with sentence fragments, tense choice, comma splicing, and request structures. These errors are noticeable but not usually confusing.
Check that each sentence has a subject and verb, and avoid joining complete sentences only with a comma.