You have bought a new mobile phone and in a few days of purchase, it has stopped working. You have spoken to the company representative a week ago but it 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

Same questionCompare 2 different answers (Band 6–6.5)

Sample Response

1

Dear Sir or Madam,Dear sir/mam,

2

I am Prakhar, and I work as an IT infrastructure manager in the Zeus IT group next to your ‘Enriched Texture’ mobile shop and I am writing this letter to bring to your attentionnotice a serious problema deplorable event concerningrelevant to my recent purchase from your shop.

3

I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S27 from your mobile store two weeks ago and was extremely pleasedexulted with my new purchase. However, my happiness didn’t last longdidn’t last for long because from the second day onwards,as right from the second day, my phone has turned off every time I have switched it onhas been turning off each time I switched it on. I deeply regret this purchaseam extremely remorseful for this purchase. Moreover,, and above that, your staff seems to have ignoredturned deaf to my complaints. I spoketalked to one of your representatives last week, andwhere he assured me that the issue would be resolvedassured me of the resolution of the issue but he has since switched off his phone.only to have switched his phone off post that.

4

PleaseI implore you to arrange a callback and promptlyeffectively resolve my complaint.

5

Yours faithfully, Prakhar Panchbhaiya

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 6.0

The letter communicates the purchase history and ongoing fault clearly, and its sequence is easy to follow. However, several exaggerated or unnatural expressions weaken the professional register, while the requested remedy remains vague. The highest priority is to state a specific action—such as immediate repair or replacement—and support it with calm, precise language suited to a formal complaint.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

6.0
Scoring rule

All three bullet points are addressed and the complaint is clear, though the requested action lacks a specific remedy and the tone is occasionally unsuitable.

Next step

Request a precise outcome, such as repair or replacement by a stated deadline, using firm but courteous wording.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.0
Scoring rule

The response follows a logical order, but long sentences and an overextended central paragraph reduce clarity and balance.

Next step

Separate the fault, previous contact, and desired resolution into shorter, clearly focused stages.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.0
Scoring rule

The writer attempts a broad formal vocabulary, but several word choices and collocations sound exaggerated or inaccurate.

Next step

Prefer precise complaint language such as defective, disappointed, unresolved, and arrange a repair or replacement.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.0
Scoring rule

A mix of complex structures is attempted successfully, although tense control, clause linking, and sentence boundaries are uneven.

Next step

Use shorter complex sentences and check that time references consistently distinguish the original fault from the continuing problem.

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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1

You have bought a new mobile phone and in a few days of purchase, it has stopped working. You have spoken to the company representative a week ago but it 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

Words0
20:00

Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.