You recently sent some documents by post, but they did not arrive at the destination. Write a letter to the post office manager. In your letter: - give details of the situation - describe the documents - say what action you want the post office to take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writingwriting this letter to enquire about an item of maila postal mailcontaining some important documents, containing some important documents, which I sent about sixteen16 days ago. Since it hasis yet to reach its destination, I hope you will helpI am hoping that you would help me locate and deliverretrieve it.
With regard to the itemWith regards to the mail, I sent it on Monday, 24 OctoberMonday, last 24th October, and it was supposed to arrive at its destination within five5 working days. However,But, unfortunately, 12 working days have already passed, and the recipient hasis yet to receive the documents. A few days agoOf course, a few days ago, I contacted your office and provided them with the mail tracking number, but all they could say at that time was that the mail was picked up the very next day from your post office and had already reached its final destination.
The documents included the original birth certificate, a completed forma filled-up form, and documents for correcting my younger brother’s namename correction documentation of my younger brother, without which he can not get his passportinternational passport renewed on time.
So, if you please have someone contact the concerned personnel in the post office at the other end, where the mail is supposed to arrive, to retrieve the documents at the earliest, I will really appreciate it.
Yours faithfully,
David Gregory
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fully addresses the delayed delivery, identifies the documents and their urgency, and requests a specific investigation in an appropriately formal tone. Its strongest feature is the detailed chronology, while the main weakness is occasional awkward wording and a confusing statement that the item had reached its final destination even though it remained missing. Prioritise clarifying the tracking discrepancy and expressing the requested action in a shorter, more direct sentence.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the formal tone is appropriate, although the reported tracking status creates slight confusion.
Explicitly explain that tracking shows delivery to the destination office but the recipient has not received the envelope, then request an urgent trace.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information is logically ordered and appropriately paragraphed, with clear progression from the problem to the contents and requested action.
Tighten the long second paragraph and use fewer conversational transitions such as ‘Of course’ and ‘So’.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a good range of postal and administrative vocabulary, but several expressions are awkward or nonstandard despite clear meaning.
Prefer natural phrases such as ‘an envelope containing documents’, ‘regarding the item’, ‘completed form’, and ‘staff at the destination office’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences convey detailed information, but article, punctuation, reference, and conditional-structure errors recur without obstructing communication.
Simplify the final conditional request and check forms such as ‘on 24 October’, ‘the original birth certificate’, and ‘I would appreciate it’.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently sent some documents by post, but they did not arrive at the destination. Write a letter to the post office manager. In your letter:
- give details of the situation
- describe the documents
- say what action you want the post office to take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.