You have bought a new mobile phone and in a few days of purchase, it has stopped working. You spoke 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
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, Two weeks ago I purchased a newbrand new mobile phone from your shop. I was pleased with my purchaseexcited to have purchased it but very disappointed to find that the phone was defectivepoorly produced and stopped working within a week of purchase. I have spokentalked to one of your representatives over the phone twice but nothing has been done so far. I am hoping you will replace it immediately. In relation to the specifics of the order, I purchased this mobile phone from your Davidsons Avenue store on September 23rd and it was a cash purchase. The model of the mobile phone is the OnePlus 12R and it comes with a 6.78-inch display, Android 14 (OxygenOS 14) OS, a 50-megapixel camera50 Megapixel camera, 16 GB RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The order number is 25009652 and I am attaching a copy of my receipt.
The issue with the phone is that I am unable to turn it onstart it even after the phone is fully charged. It is dead and unusable for me. I’m sure this is a manufacturing flaw and I am entitled to get a new phone as a replacement according to the warranty policy. Despite my communication with one of your representatives a week ago, nothing has been done and I seriously doubt the after-salessale service you provide. As a solution, and because I really like the functionality and features of this phone, I am hoping that you will agree to replace it with a new one immediately. Otherwise, I would like a full refund and I will be contacting the Bureau of Consumer Protection if I do not hear back from you regarding this matterin regards to this within a week. Thank you for giving the matter your attention and I hope to hear your reply soon. Yours faithfully, David Miller
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter states the complaint and requested remedy very clearly, supporting both with specific purchase, warranty, and contact details. Its main limitation is excessive length and repetition: technical specifications and repeated references to previous contact dilute an otherwise forceful message, while a few formal collocations are unnatural. The priority is to condense the factual record into one focused paragraph and state the replacement-or-refund deadline once in firm, professional language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose, purchase identity, fault, previous contact, and requested action are all clear and well developed in an appropriately firm tone.
Remove unnecessary hardware specifications and present the preferred replacement and alternative refund more directly.
Coherence and Cohesion
The complaint follows a generally logical sequence, but repeated purchase details, previous contact, and replacement requests reduce concision and progression.
Organise the letter into short paragraphs for identification, the fault and prior contact, and the requested resolution and deadline.
Lexical Resource
A broad range of precise consumer, warranty, and technical vocabulary is used, with a few unnatural choices such as poorly produced and after-sale service.
Use idiomatic formal phrases such as manufacturing defect, after-sales service, under the warranty, and with regard to this matter.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences and passive forms are handled with strong control, and the few errors do not impede communication.
Polish article use in the product specifications and replace in regards to with in regard to or regarding.
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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 spoke 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
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.