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 am a frequent flyer of your airline - The Continental, and recently took a flight from New York to London in which I forgot my suitcase. I am writing to inquire about the suitcase and hoping you would arrange to find it and then allow me to pick it up from your office. I took the flight on 15th January and the flight number was AB220. While off-boarding at the London City Airport, I forgot to collect it from the overhead bin over my sear. I realised the mistake after I got out of the airport. So, I raised a request with your staff to recover the suitcase. After all the formalities and paperwork, an officer informed me that someone would contact me within 24 hours. Five days have already elapsed since then and I have not heard any news of my suitcase. For your kind information, it is a grey leather suitcase made by TravelPro and has a logo on the front that resembles a white swan. The bag also bears my name tag on it. It is a medium-sized suitcase that contains a few clothing items, a notebook, a travel charger and some important documents. I am hoping you would investigate the location of the suitcase and keep it in your possession temporarily. I would be ready to collect it from your office once I hear from you regarding this. Thank you for giving the matter your attention and I hope to hear your reply soon. Yours sincerely, Ramanuj Roy
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise wording Original: in which I forgot my suitcase Suggested revision: on which I left my suitcase Why it matters: A suitcase is left on a flight rather than forgotten in a flight.
- 2. Use formal verb Original: off-boarding Suggested revision: disembarking Why it matters: 'Disembarking' is the standard formal term for leaving an aircraft.
- 3. Correct spelling and phrase Original: over my sear Suggested revision: above my seat Why it matters: 'Sear' is a spelling error, and 'above my seat' accurately locates the bin.
- 4. Use natural collocation Original: raised a request with your staff Suggested revision: filed a report with your staff Why it matters: 'Filed a report' is the natural expression for formally reporting lost luggage.
- 5. Use concise transition Original: For your kind information Suggested revision: For reference Why it matters: The shorter transition is more natural in a formal complaint letter.
- 6. Remove redundant phrase Original: bears my name tag on it Suggested revision: bears my name tag Why it matters: 'Bears' already means that the suitcase has the tag, so 'on it' is redundant.
- 7. Use concise wording Original: keep it in your possession temporarily Suggested revision: hold it temporarily Why it matters: The concise verb 'hold' expresses the intended request more naturally.
- 8. Fix collocation Original: hear your reply Suggested revision: hear from you Why it matters: The standard expression is 'hear from you', not 'hear your reply'.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: I am writing to inquire about the suitcase and hoping you would arrange to find it and then allow me to pick it up from your office. Suggested revision: I am writing to inquire about the suitcase and to ask you to locate it so that I can collect it from your office. Why it matters: The rewrite restores parallel verb structure and clarifies the requested action.
- 10. Group key information Suggested revision: Organise the letter into separate paragraphs for the incident, the suitcase description, and the requested action. Why it matters: Grouping related details would make this long single paragraph easier for the airline to process.
Suggested Rewrites
- in which I forgot my suitcase on which I left my suitcase
- off-boarding disembarking
- over my sear above my seat
- raised a request with your staff filed a report with your staff
- For your kind information For reference
- bears my name tag on it bears my name tag
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter is strongest in its complete, practical coverage: it identifies the flight, explains the loss, describes the suitcase and contents, and requests a clear response in an appropriately formal tone. The main limitation is occasional awkward wording and a few grammatical slips within otherwise controlled sentences. The highest-priority improvement is to refine collocations and sentence joins so the formal message reads more naturally and precisely.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, every bullet point is developed with relevant detail, and the formal tone is appropriate for an airline.
State the desired airline action even more directly by requesting a search update and a definite response deadline.
Coherence and Cohesion
The account follows a clear chronological and functional sequence, with effective referencing and transitions, despite the lack of visible paragraph breaks.
Group the incident, suitcase description, and requested action into separate paragraphs for sharper organisation.
Lexical Resource
A broad and precise vocabulary supports the formal complaint, with only occasional awkward choices such as off-boarding and raised a request.
Replace less natural combinations with standard expressions such as disembarking and filed a lost-baggage report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with strong overall control, while a few faulty joins and minor form errors remain.
Polish parallel verb structures, for example by writing I am writing to inquire and to ask rather than mixing forms.
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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.