You have recently travelled on a train and unfortunately left your luggage. Write a letter to the manager of the Lost and Found department of the railway regarding the luggage you accidentally left on the train. In your letter: - give details of your train trip - describe the luggage you left on the train - say what actions you want him/her to take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing this letter to reach out to you to seek help to find a piece of lost luggage of mine which, I am assuming, I left by mistake on one of your trains.
I was travelling on Monday morning by “TVG Bullet Express” that left “Kuchin” railway station at around 7:30 am and headed towards the city of “Freetown”. My destination was “Anniston” station, and that was exactly where I got off the train. But, unfortunately, I might have left one of my luggage on the train by mistake, trying to leave the station in a hurry.
The luggage that I lost was medium in size, maroon in colour and made by the "TravelPro" brand. The bag was made of some waterproof, polyester fabric and contained mostly clothing, cosmetics and books when I lost it, and the bag has short handles.
So, please follow the standard procedures to find my luggage and send it to me at the address I provided here. I will pay the shipping cost of the parcel on delivery. For your convenience, I am sending a copy of my train ticket.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
Peter James
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove wordiness Original: reach out to you to seek help to find Suggested revision: ask for your help in locating Why it matters: The shorter phrase states the purpose clearly and formally.
- 2. Simplify parenthetical Original: which, I am assuming, I left Suggested revision: which I believe I left Why it matters: Removing the interrupting commas makes the relative clause smoother and more direct.
- 3. Correct train preposition Original: by “TVG Bullet Express” Suggested revision: on the “TVG Bullet Express” Why it matters: Use “on” when naming the train on which someone travelled.
- 4. Use concise phrasing Original: headed towards the city of Suggested revision: was bound for Why it matters: This concise expression naturally states the train's destination.
- 5. Remove redundancy Original: exactly where I got off Suggested revision: where I got off Why it matters: “Exactly” adds no necessary meaning because the station is already identified.
- 6. Remove redundant noun Original: made by the "TravelPro" brand Suggested revision: made by "TravelPro" Why it matters: The maker's name already identifies the brand, so the extra noun is unnecessary.
- 7. Use letter convention Original: I am sending a copy Suggested revision: I have enclosed a copy Why it matters: This conventional wording clearly indicates that the ticket copy accompanies the letter.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: But, unfortunately, I might have left one of my luggage on the train by mistake, trying to leave the station in a hurry. Suggested revision: Unfortunately, I may have left one piece of luggage on the train as I got off in a hurry. Why it matters: The revision corrects the uncountable noun and clarifies when the luggage was left behind.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: The bag was made of some waterproof, polyester fabric and contained mostly clothing, cosmetics and books when I lost it, and the bag has short handles. Suggested revision: The bag is made of waterproof polyester, has short handles and contained mostly clothing, cosmetics and books when I lost it. Why it matters: The revision groups the physical features clearly and avoids repeating “the bag” in one long sentence.
Suggested Rewrites
- reach out to you to seek help to find ask for your help in locating
- which, I am assuming, I left which I believe I left
- by “TVG Bullet Express” on the “TVG Bullet Express”
- headed towards the city of was bound for
- exactly where I got off where I got off
- made by the "TravelPro" brand made by "TravelPro"
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter is clear, appropriately formal, and thoroughly covers the journey, the bag’s identifying features, and the requested action. The main limitation is occasional grammatical and lexical awkwardness, including countability and tense problems, which slightly weakens an otherwise well-organised response. Prioritise accurate noun forms and consistent verb choices, then streamline repetitive wording to make the request more natural and precise.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response fully covers the trip, gives numerous useful identifying details, and clearly requests recovery and delivery in a suitable formal register.
Specify a direct contact method or reference number so the requested follow-up action is even more practical.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is organised into purposeful paragraphs that move logically from the loss to identification details and the requested action.
Tighten repeated references to losing the bag and avoid unnecessary linking words so the progression is more economical.
Lexical Resource
There is a good range of specific vocabulary for travel, materials, and delivery, although some combinations are imprecise or repetitive.
Use natural phrases such as “a piece of luggage”, “TravelPro-branded”, and “delivery costs” to improve lexical precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The writer uses a variety of complex structures successfully, but countability, tense consistency, and clause attachment errors are noticeable.
Correct forms such as “one of my bags” and maintain consistent past tense when describing the luggage at the time it was lost.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have recently travelled on a train and unfortunately left your luggage. Write a letter to the manager of the Lost and Found department of the railway regarding the luggage you accidentally left on the train. In your letter:
- give details of your train trip
- describe the luggage you left on the train
- say what actions you want him/her to take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.