Your car was hired from a company and while you were driving on holiday, you had a small accident. You will have to write a report to the company to explain it. Write a letter to the company. In your letter, you need to explain the following: - when and where you hired the car - describe how the accident happened - what kind of action you took after the accident
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this letter to report an accident that happened last weekend with the car that I rented a few days ago from your company. I hired a Toyota Inova 2023 model car last Saturday from your Petro branch near the Hilton hotel. I reserved the car for eight days and paid half of the charge upfront. Last Sunday I took a countryside tour to visit Cloud Mountain in the southern city. When I drove at the end of the express highway leading to Lauren Bridge a car in front of me suddenly turned left without any signal. It happened so swiftly that I could not reduce the speed and control the vehicle properly which caused a collision between us. The left headlight was broken and a few scratched on the left side of the car is visible. Fortunately, none of us was injured. Later we called the police and the incident was reported accordingly. In the meantime, I sent the vehicle to a repair shop for repair. I obviously will bear all the costs. I expect to have the car returned this Friday as per our contract. I am attaching herein, a copy of the report in which you can find more details about the incident. I apologise for the unexpected inconvenience caused and accept to pay the compensation if any. Thank you for your understanding. Yours faithfully, Jennifer Poulsen
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Natural noun order Original: a Toyota Inova 2023 model car Suggested revision: a 2023 Toyota Inova car Why it matters: Place the model year before the make for a more natural noun phrase.
- 2. Improve collocation Original: took a countryside tour Suggested revision: went on a tour of the countryside Why it matters: This phrasing uses a more natural collocation for describing the trip.
- 3. Separate opening clause Original: Lauren Bridge a car Suggested revision: Lauren Bridge, a car Why it matters: A comma is needed after the introductory dependent clause.
- 4. Use precise verb Original: without any signal Suggested revision: without signalling Why it matters: The verb form describes the other driver's action more directly.
- 5. Use correct determiner Original: the Suggested revision: my Why it matters: The possessive determiner clearly links the speed to the writer's vehicle.
- 6. Add clause comma Original: properly which Suggested revision: properly, which Why it matters: A comma should introduce this non-defining relative clause.
- 7. Correct noun form Original: scratched Suggested revision: scratches Why it matters: The quantifier requires the plural noun rather than the past-tense form.
- 8. Match plural subject Original: is Suggested revision: are Why it matters: The verb must agree with the plural subject 'scratches'.
- 9. Correct verb pattern Original: accept Suggested revision: agree Why it matters: 'Agree to pay' is the correct collocation for accepting a financial obligation.
- 10. Capitalise proper name Original: hotel Suggested revision: Hotel Why it matters: Capitalise 'Hotel' when it forms part of the named establishment.
- 11. Punctuate time phrase Original: Last Sunday I Suggested revision: Last Sunday, I Why it matters: A comma should follow this introductory time phrase.
- 12. Clarify movement Original: drove at the end of Suggested revision: reached the end of Why it matters: This verb states the driver's position and movement more naturally.
Suggested Rewrites
- a Toyota Inova 2023 model car a 2023 Toyota Inova car
- took a countryside tour went on a tour of the countryside
- Lauren Bridge a car Lauren Bridge, a car
- without any signal without signalling
- the my
- properly which properly, which
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fully explains the rental, accident, and subsequent actions in a suitably formal tone, with specific details that make the report easy to understand. Its main limitation is presentation: the entire account forms one dense paragraph, while several awkward grammatical constructions reduce polish. Organising the sequence into clear functional paragraphs and checking agreement and clause structure should be the highest priority.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, all three bullet points are fully addressed, and the formal register is consistently appropriate.
Remove minor peripheral details and make the requested outcome from the company slightly more explicit.
Coherence and Cohesion
The events progress logically and linking is generally natural, but presenting the whole letter as one paragraph weakens organisation.
Separate the rental details, accident account, and follow-up actions into distinct functional paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
A varied and mostly precise formal vocabulary describes the rental, collision, damage, and response effectively.
Refine a few awkward collocations, such as using slow down and agree to pay in their natural contexts.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of complex structures is used with generally secure control, despite several local agreement and clause-construction errors.
Check noun forms and subject-verb agreement carefully, especially in the sentence describing the scratches.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your car was hired from a company and while you were driving on holiday, you had a small accident. You will have to write a report to the company to explain it. Write a letter to the company. In your letter, you need to explain the following:
- when and where you hired the car
- describe how the accident happened
- what kind of action you took after the accident
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.