You recently went to a restaurant but think you could have left your credit card behind. Write to the restaurant. In your letter: - Tell them when you went there. - Describe where you think you may have left the credit card. - Explain what you would like the restaurant to do.
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to confirm that I forgot to bring back my credit card after yesterday’s bill payment. I believe the card was on the payment table near the swiping machine.
My name is Anish, and yesterday that is 25-06-22; I booked corner table seven between 7-9 PM for a family occasion. Including me, we were eight in all together. The dining was spectacular, and all the dishes were kept to their high standard.
After completing our dinner, we spent a couple of minutes taking some family photos on the lawn, and then I moved forward to paying bills at the billing table. I praised and appreciated the ambience, service and serving cuisines to Mr Kenny, who is your In-charge. In between, I got an urgent call and forgot to bring back my credit card from the billing table.
I kindly request you to ensure that my card is at the billing point. It is an Axis bank credit card, and my name has printed on the same card. Very next I will come and collect it from our end. Before that, please message me for confirmation.
Expecting a favourable reply and I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Clarify the purpose Original: confirm Suggested revision: report Why it matters: The letter reports a possible loss rather than confirming an established fact.
- 2. Use natural wording Original: I forgot to bring back my credit card after Suggested revision: I left my credit card behind after Why it matters: This is the natural expression for accidentally leaving an item at a place.
- 3. Choose precise location Original: table Suggested revision: counter Why it matters: A counter is a more natural term for the restaurant's payment area.
- 4. Add table identifier Original: corner table seven Suggested revision: corner table number seven Why it matters: Adding “number” makes the table reference grammatically complete and clear.
- 5. Express the time range Original: 7-9 PM Suggested revision: 7 and 9 p.m. Why it matters: After “between,” the two times should be joined with “and.”
- 6. Remove redundant wording Original: eight in all together Suggested revision: eight altogether Why it matters: “In all” and “altogether” duplicate the same meaning.
- 7. Complete the phrase Original: The dining Suggested revision: The dining experience Why it matters: “Dining” alone does not naturally name the experience being praised here.
- 8. Fix the complement Original: kept to their high standard Suggested revision: of a high standard Why it matters: The dishes should be described as being “of a high standard.”
- 9. Use natural phrasing Original: moved forward to paying bills Suggested revision: went to pay the bill Why it matters: This concise collocation clearly describes settling the restaurant bill.
- 10. Use the right noun Original: serving cuisines Suggested revision: food Why it matters: “Food” is the appropriate object when praising what the restaurant served.
- 11. Use a role noun Original: In-charge Suggested revision: manager Why it matters: “In-charge” is not used as a standalone job title in this structure.
- 12. Clarify the link Original: In between Suggested revision: During our conversation Why it matters: This phrase clearly identifies when the urgent call interrupted the interaction.
Suggested Rewrites
- confirm report
- I forgot to bring back my credit card after I left my credit card behind after
- table counter
- corner table seven corner table number seven
- 7-9 PM 7 and 9 p.m.
- eight in all together eight altogether
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter clearly explains when the visit occurred, where the card was probably left, and the requested follow-up, while maintaining a generally suitable formal tone. Its main limitation is persistently awkward phrasing and grammar, which sometimes makes otherwise relevant details sound unnatural. The highest priority is to use simpler, accurate sentence structures and conventional collocations when describing the payment and collection arrangements.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are covered with relevant detail, and the formal tone is generally appropriate.
State the requested action more precisely, including whether the restaurant should secure the card and confirm when it can be collected.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter follows a logical sequence from the visit and payment to the request, with clear paragraphing despite some awkward transitions.
Use direct chronological links and remove vague connectors such as 'In between' and 'Before that'.
Lexical Resource
The response shows adequate range for dining and payment, but several inaccurate collocations and word choices sound unnatural.
Replace expressions such as 'payment table', 'serving cuisines', and 'from our end' with conventional, precise wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures conveys the message, although recurring agreement, tense, article, and sentence-formation errors reduce control.
Prioritise complete, accurately punctuated sentences and check verb forms such as 'my name is printed' before submitting.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently went to a restaurant but think you could have left your credit card behind. Write to the restaurant. In your letter:
- Tell them when you went there.
- Describe where you think you may have left the credit card.
- Explain what you would like the restaurant to do.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.