On a recent holiday, you lost a valuable item. Fortunately, you have travel insurance to cover the cost of anything lost. Write a letter to the manager of your insurance company. In your letter: describe the item you lost explain how you lost it tell the insurance company what you would like them to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this letter to inform you that I have recently lost a mobile phone during my holiday in Pondicherry and this item is insured. It was an Apple iPhone 16 which cost me approximately 120,000 rupees. Since I have insurance coverage for my mobile phone from your company, I am hoping to get my insurance money. The incident occurred when I was on a holiday trip to Pondicherry between 26 May 2025 to 29 May 2025. I was on Paradise beach on 28 August when I lost my mobile phone in the sand. I vigorously searched for the item for more than an hour but it was nowhere. I immediately lodged an FIR in the nearest police station and the FIR registration number is CH-25470145. Since I hold insurance coverage for the mobile phone, I would like to claim the insurance amount for the lost phone. As per the policies of the insurance, I am liable to claim an amount of 85,000 as an insurance refund for the lost item. Please find the invoice and the FIR copy for the lost mobile phone with this letter. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Aakash Saurabh
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Date range Original: between 26 May 2025 to 29 May 2025 Suggested revision: from 26 May 2025 to 29 May 2025 Why it matters: Use from...to or between...and, not between...to.
- 2. Date inconsistency Original: on 28 August Suggested revision: on 28 May Why it matters: The stated holiday was in May, so August creates a serious timeline problem.
- 3. Capitalisation Original: Paradise beach Suggested revision: Paradise Beach Why it matters: A proper place name should be capitalised.
- 4. Clear detail Original: in the sand Suggested revision: somewhere on the beach Why it matters: Unless the phone was buried, this sounds more natural and credible.
- 5. Fixed expression Original: it was nowhere Suggested revision: it was nowhere to be found Why it matters: This is the complete natural phrase.
- 6. Preposition Original: lodged an FIR in the nearest police station Suggested revision: lodged an FIR at the nearest police station Why it matters: Use at for actions completed at an institution or location.
- 7. Insurance phrase Original: policies of the insurance Suggested revision: terms of the policy Why it matters: This is the standard phrase for insurance conditions.
- 8. Wrong legal word Original: liable to claim Suggested revision: eligible to claim Why it matters: Liable means legally responsible; eligible means entitled under the policy.
- 9. Claim wording Original: insurance refund Suggested revision: insurance reimbursement Why it matters: Reimbursement is more accurate for compensation after a loss.
- 10. Policy clarity Original: this item is insured Suggested revision: this item is covered under my travel insurance policy Why it matters: This connects the lost item more clearly to the insurance claim.
- 11. Claim term Original: insurance money Suggested revision: insurance compensation Why it matters: Compensation is more precise and professional than money.
- 12. Sentence rewrite Original: The incident occurred when I was on a holiday trip to Pondicherry between 26 May 2025 to 29 May 2025. Suggested revision: The incident occurred during my holiday in Pondicherry, which lasted from 26 May 2025 to 29 May 2025. Why it matters: This fixes the date-range grammar and sets up a clear timeline.
Suggested Rewrites
- between 26 May 2025 to 29 May 2025 from 26 May 2025 to 29 May 2025
- on 28 August on 28 May
- Paradise beach Paradise Beach
- in the sand somewhere on the beach
- it was nowhere it was nowhere to be found
- lodged an FIR in the nearest police station lodged an FIR at the nearest police station
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The response describes the item, explains the loss, and asks for the insurance payment. However, the date inconsistency between the May holiday and losing the phone on 28 August weakens the factual clarity of the claim.
Make the dates consistent and add any claim reference or policy number if available.
Coherence and Cohesion
The order is mostly logical, but the date contradiction and repeated claim statements reduce coherence. Paragraphing is also missing.
Organise the claim into item details, incident details, and requested action, with one consistent timeline.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is appropriate for an insurance claim and includes useful terms such as invoice, FIR, and insurance coverage. Some legal/insurance wording is slightly inaccurate.
Use precise claim language, especially eligible to claim and reimbursement rather than liable to claim.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Most grammar is clear, but there are errors in prepositions, articles, and sentence patterns.
Check date ranges, location phrases, and expressions such as nowhere to be found.