You have recently ordered an item through the Internet, but you are not happy with the product. Write to the company. In your letter: - describe what you purchased - explain why you are not happy with the product - tell them what you would like them to do about it
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, Two weeks ago I ordered a leather wallet from your online store. I was excited when it arrived but very disappointed to find that the product was poorly made and unusable. I am hoping that you will replace it soon. Regarding the orderIn relation to the specifics of the order, I purchased this leather wallet through your Fashion Era websitewebsite called Fashion Era on July 27th using my PayPal account. The order number is W34405 and I am attaching a copy of my receipt. The issue with the wallet is that the credit card pockets are sewn shut and I am unable to store my cards securely inside theminside securely. The picture of the item on your website clearly shows cards safely stored in the card slotslittle pouches so I’m sure this is a manufacturing flaw. In additionBesides, I ordered a brown wallet but to my surprise the delivered product is black.black! To resolve thisAs a solution, and because I really like the wallet, I am hoping that you will agree to send me a replacement at no additional costanother one for free. Otherwise, I would like a full refund and I will be contacting PayPal complaints if I do not hear back from you regarding thisin regards to this within a week. Thank you for giving the matter your attention and I hope to hear from you soonhear your reply soon. Yours faithfully, Adam Water
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter’s strongest feature is its detailed, persuasive complaint, supported by the order number, receipt, two specific defects, and clear replacement-or-refund options. Its main limitation is organisation, because the whole letter appears as one continuous paragraph, while the final escalation to ‘PayPal complaints’ is awkwardly expressed. Prioritise dividing the purchase, defects, and requested resolution into separate paragraphs and stating the escalation procedure in precise professional language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purchase, both defects, supporting order information, and desired remedies are fully explained in a firm and generally suitable complaint.
State one preferred remedy first and define the refund as the alternative if a correct replacement cannot be supplied.
Coherence and Cohesion
The complaint progresses clearly from the purchase to evidence, defects, and remedies, but the absence of paragraphing reduces structural clarity.
Create separate paragraphs for order details, product faults, and the requested resolution and deadline.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and effective for a consumer complaint, with only a few imprecise combinations such as ‘PayPal complaints’ and ‘in regards to’.
Use precise phrases such as ‘open a dispute through PayPal’ and ‘regarding this matter’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is used accurately, with only minor non-impeding slips in phrasing and tense consistency.
Maintain consistent past tense when recounting delivery and use present tense only for defects that still exist.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have recently ordered an item through the Internet, but you are not happy with the product. Write to the company. In your letter:
- describe what you purchased
- explain why you are not happy with the product
- tell them what you would like them to do about it
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.