You have bought a new camera but when you got it home you found it had some problems. You returned the camera and spoke to the company representative a week ago but the camera has still not been repaired. Write a letter to the company. In your letter: - introduce yourself - explain the situation - say what action you would like the company to take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I recently boughtI have recently bought a Samsung digital camera from your showroom. I was excited to bring it home but disappointed to find that it did not work as expected. To make matters worseTo add more misery, even after I returned it to your store to make a warranty claimclaim the warranty, I am yet to receivehear an update. I would like to haveI am hoping to get my camera replaced withby a new one. I have bought a Samsung NX410 40MP camera from your showroom at 125 Oxford St in Sohofrom 125 Oxford St, Soho showroom on 10th December. Unfortunately, it malfunctioned just after I took it home. I cannot take any picturestake pictures and it turns off automatically. The very next day, I visited your showroom and spoketalked to Cynthia, one of your representatives, who assured me that the camera would be replaced within 24 hours. When I called her again, she told me that the repair would take a few more daysit would take a few more days and would be repaired instead of being replaced. When I asked for an explanationdemanded the reason, she failed to answer. It has been almost a week since I purchased the camera from your store. The faulty product should be your responsibility, not mine. One of my relatives has advised me to contact the Consumer Rights Authoritytalk to the Consumer Rights Authority and file a complaint against your company but I will wait until 24 Decemberwait till 24th (the day before Christmas). I am attaching the purchase receiptreceipt of the purchase. I still believe in your brand'sbrand reputation. I would like you to take immediate action to resolve the poor service I experiencedagainst the misconduct I experienced. Yours faithfully, Ginna Maria
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter has a clear purpose, covers the purchase and repair history in useful detail, and maintains an appropriately formal tone. Its main limitation is imprecise wording around the requested remedy, since it moves from replacement to repair and then asks for action against misconduct. State one specific resolution and deadline, and organise the account into clear paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear and all three bullet points are addressed with relevant details about the purchase, fault, and delayed response.
State the desired outcome consistently, such as an immediate replacement by a precise deadline, instead of ending with the vague request for action against misconduct.
Coherence and Cohesion
The events progress logically from purchase to complaint and requested resolution, with generally effective linking between ideas.
Separate the opening purpose, problem history, and requested action into distinct paragraphs to make the letter easier to follow.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses a good range of formal complaint vocabulary, although phrases such as add more misery and claim the warranty are awkward.
Choose more natural collocations, such as to make matters worse and make a warranty claim, while retaining the appropriately firm register.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of complex structures is used with generally good control, and the few errors do not impede meaning.
Improve tense and article accuracy in time-specific statements, for example by using I bought the camera on 10 December.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have bought a new camera but when you got it home you found it had some problems. You returned the camera and spoke to the company representative a week ago but the camera has still not been repaired. Write a letter to the company. In your letter:
- introduce yourself
- explain the situation
- say what action you would like the company to take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.