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
This response is estimated at Band 8.5. Can you write a better one?
Write yours and get clear feedback on all four criteria.
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Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writingwriting this letter to seek your assistance regarding some important documents that I accidentally left behind after attending a meeting at your hotel yesterday. I am hoping that you will help me locate themassist me in finding those documents as soon as possible.
I attended a business meeting in the Maple Conference Room on the second floor of your hotel from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. I believe I may have left my folder containing the documents on the table near the projector when the session endedwhen we wrapped up the session. The folder is black with a silver clip, and it contains several printed reports and handwritten notes.
These documents containThe issue with these documents is that they contain confidential business information related to an upcoming corporate project. Losing them could cause significant disruption to my teamsignificant inconvenience for my team, as we have a presentation scheduled next week based on thembased on those reports.
I would appreciate it if you could check the conference room and your lost-and-found department for the folder. If it has been found, I would be grateful if you could either keep it securelyhold onto it until I collect it or arrange for it to be sent to my office.
Please let me know at your earliest convenience. I look forward to your responseyour prompt response.
Yours faithfully,
William Scott
Why this response received Band 8.5
The letter is strongest in its precise, fully developed coverage of every request: it identifies the likely location and folder, explains the commercial importance, and gives the manager practical options. The only meaningful limitation is minor repetition of "documents" and "folder" in an otherwise polished response. A little more lexical variation and a contact detail for arranging return would make it even more complete.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, every bullet point is fully developed with specific relevant detail, and the formal tone is consistently appropriate.
Add a phone number or email address so the hotel can act on the otherwise complete request without delay.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is very clearly sequenced, with each well-focused paragraph handling a distinct communicative function and cohesive links used naturally.
For further refinement, shorten the opening slightly because the purpose is restated in two consecutive sentences.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise, natural, and appropriately formal, with effective phrases such as "confidential business information" and "at your earliest convenience."
Vary repeated references to the documents and folder where doing so would remain clear.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of simple and complex structures is controlled with excellent accuracy throughout the letter.
Maintain this accuracy while experimenting with slightly more concise phrasing in the request paragraph.