You have borrowed something from your friend and it has got damaged. Write a letter to a friend. In your letter: - apologize for damaging the product/stuff - explain what happened - say how are you going to fix the issue
Sample Response
Dear Wesley, I hope you are doing fineDear Wesley, Hope you are doing fine. I am really sorryI am very contrite to say that the wristwatch I borrowed from you last week got damaged. It was an accident and I am ready to have it repaired at an authorised repair shopfrom a branded shop. I am very sorry for what happenedthis event and I cannot find words to show how sorrymiserable I feel about it. I know this is your favourite watch and a gift from your father. Last night I was travelling to my aunt's house on amy motorbike. At one point, while I was crossing the road, an elderly woman who was driving a sedan, opened the car door all of a sudden and it struck my bikeand that stroke my bike. She apologised sincerelyShe profoundly apologised but the damage had already been donethe damage was already made. I fellfall off the bike and your watch got damaged. The protective glass faceprotection glass screen was smashed and the lug has a few scratches. Fortunately, it is running accurately. I would like to take it to the Seiko branded shop to have it fixed. I will bear the expenses and hopefully, you would not be too angry with me after thatit. Warm wishes, FrancoWarm wishes, Franco
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter responds fully to the situation, with a clear apology, a detailed account of the accident, and a practical offer to pay for repairs. Its effectiveness is reduced by the single-block presentation and several overformal or unnatural phrases, alongside tense and verb-choice slips; the highest priority is to divide the message into clear stages and revise the accident narrative using natural collocations and consistent past tense.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully apologises for damaging the borrowed watch, explains the accident, and offers to pay for repair. The friendly purpose is clear, though the apology is sometimes overdramatic.
Keep the relevant content, then revise the wording and organisation points highlighted in the essay comments.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence from apology to accident details and repair plan is logical, but the single-block format weakens readability.
Use clearer paragraphing and smoother links so each bullet point is easy to follow.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and sometimes precise, but several choices are unnatural for a personal letter, such as “contrite”, “branded shop”, and “the damage was already made”.
Prefer natural collocations and precise topic vocabulary over overformal or translated-sounding phrases.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is mostly clear, but tense and verb-choice errors appear in the accident narration.
Proofread tense, articles, prepositions and sentence boundaries before submitting.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have borrowed something from your friend and it has got damaged. Write a letter to a friend. In your letter:
- apologize for damaging the product/stuff
- explain what happened
- say how are you going to fix the issue
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.