You travelled by plane last week and your suitcase was lost. You have still heard nothing from the airline company. Write to the airline. In your letter: - explain what happened - describe your suitcase and say what was in it - ask what the airline is going to do about it
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I was one of the passengers who was on the flighttook the flight from Narita, Tokyo to Heathrow, London on 7th September. Unfortunately, my suitcase was lost and I could not find it after I arrived at Heathrow Airport. Although I searched for it for an hoursearched it for an hour and thenafterwards lodged a written complaint to the baggage services deskluggage claim department, I have not yet been contacted by anyonenot been contacted yet by anyone regarding the whereabouts of the luggage. My suitcase is Grey Samsonite and approximately 10x95 cm in diameter. It has 3 stickers on one side and a heart-shaped sticker on the other side. The front of the luggage has a small scratch near the main zipper. My initials "DF" are also written on the front. It contains some clothing items, a few books and a copy of my university thesis, which I urgently require. I would really appreciate it if you could urgently locate my suitcase and update me on its whereaboutsupdate me regarding this. My luggage claim number was 00026 and I can be contacted on my mobile phone, which is +2154875424, anytime. Thank you for giving your attention to this mattergiving the matter your attention. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Daniel Fillip
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully addresses the lost-luggage situation with useful identifying details, a clear account of events, and an appropriately formal request. Its main limitation is presentation: the response is not divided into purposeful paragraphs, and a few expressions describing the search, dimensions, and requested update are awkward. Prioritise clearer paragraphing and more natural, precise phrasing while retaining the strong level of specific detail.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully covered, and the formal tone is consistently appropriate.
Make the requested action even more explicit by asking for a firm tracing update and a timetable for resolution.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the journey and loss to identification details and the requested response, with cohesive links used effectively.
Separate the account, suitcase description, and requested action into distinct paragraphs to make the structure more immediately visible.
Lexical Resource
A strong range of suitably formal and specific vocabulary conveys the complaint clearly, although a few collocations are awkward.
Replace imprecise phrases such as searching the suitcase and being updated regarding this with more natural lost-luggage expressions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied complex sentences are generally accurate and well controlled, with only occasional awkward constructions and punctuation.
Refine the placement of modifiers and contact details so that complex sentences remain concise and unambiguous.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You travelled by plane last week and your suitcase was lost. You have still heard nothing from the airline company. Write to the airline. In your letter:
- explain what happened
- describe your suitcase and say what was in it
- ask what the airline is going to do about it
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.