You missed a flight due to a problem at the airport. Write a letter to the airline. In your letter: - say when and where the problem happened? - Describe how you missed the flight? - Say what you want the airline to do?
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am Ankitha, a software engineer. I am writing this letterepistle to express my dissatisfaction with a problemdiscontent with an issue at the Delhi Airport. Consequently, I missed my flight due to this problemthe hurdle.
Let me explainexpound on the problem. Yesterday at 7 PM, I was due to travelhad to travel from Delhi to Sydney, and the ticket was bookedreserved by one of the managers at my workplace. After reaching the airport, I successfully completed my check-in and immigration procedurescheck. As a business class passenger, I had additional privileges to relax for two hours in the airline lounge of airlines till I boarded the flight.
Furthermore, I was served delicious refreshments upon my arrival. Unfortunately, the dinner serveddinner which was served was too oily and spicy, which eventually caused stomach painled to pain in my stomach. I started to feel uncomfortable, and I informed the airline staffemployees immediately. They called a doctoran emergency doctor at the airport. He saidmentioned that I had food poisoning as a result of consuming spicy food. Although he prescribed some medication, he asked me not to proceed with my journey as it could deteriorate my health further.
Therefore, I was unable to continue my journeyproceed with my commute and had to postpone my trip untilfor next week. I request you to speak tohave a discussion with the culinary staff members and address them regarding this and make the required changes to the food served to customersthe supper which is served to customers so that they will enjoy your service with confidencetranquillity.
Thank you for your consideration, and I hope this problem will be resolved as soon as possibleat the earliest.
Yours faithfully,
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter is well organised and gives a clear, detailed account of when the airport problem occurred, how the writer became unable to travel, and what action the airline should take. Its main limitation is repeatedly strained or overly formal wording, which sometimes makes otherwise clear ideas sound unnatural. The highest priority is to replace embellished expressions with precise, conventional language for a formal complaint.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are covered with relevant detail, and the formal tone is generally appropriate.
Make the requested remedy more direct and practical by clearly stating the exact action expected from the airline.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the travel context through the illness to the requested response, with effective paragraphing.
Use linking expressions more selectively so that transitions sound natural rather than mechanically signposted.
Lexical Resource
The letter shows a good vocabulary range, but several choices such as epistle, hurdle, commute, and tranquillity are unnatural in context.
Prioritise accurate complaint-letter collocations and straightforward wording over uncommon vocabulary used for effect.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of complex structures is used successfully, although awkward modification, prepositions, and coordination cause recurring lapses.
Edit long sentences for cleaner clause relationships and check prepositions in phrases such as postponing a trip until a later date.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You missed a flight due to a problem at the airport. Write a letter to the airline. In your letter:
- say when and where the problem happened?
- Describe how you missed the flight?
- Say what you want the airline to do?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.