You recently bought a camera while traveling overseas. When you got to your destination you discovered that some important items were missing from the box. Write a letter to the local representative of the company. In your letter: - give details of the camera and where you bought it - explain what has happened - say what you want him/her to do about it,
Sample Response
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this letter regardingin context to the camera thatwhich I bought last month fromlast month, from “Best Buy” while I was on holidayon my holidays.
I purchased a black Canon DSLR cameraCanon black DSLR camera for $350 excluding VATexclusive of VAT. I bought the camera at Best Buy’s Toronto store located near the intersection of Kennedy and Lawrence Roadroad. I purchased as my mother’s birthday present, which is why, I did not open the packaging or check inside the box; however, when we opened the box, we discovered that the box was missing a charger and a leather cover. It is in fact very difficult for me to return to Toronto solely forcome back to Toronto, only for a charger or a cover because I live in Amritsar, India.
Besides, I am not quite reasonable. Therefore, I would greatly appreciate it if you would be able to deliver the missing items to my addressdeliver me the mentioned items on the address mentioned above, if not, refund the equivalent amountrefund me the amount equivalently to my credit card ending in 00301on my credit card ending with 00301 which wasis used to make the purchasewhile making a purchase. Please use reference number X39H43 to verify my purchasenote my reference number X39H43 as proof of purchase.
I look forward to your prompt replyI shall await your prompt reply.
Yours faithfully,
Harsh Kaur
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter gives specific purchase details, clearly identifies the missing items, and requests practical remedies in an appropriately formal format. Its main weakness is language control: several unnatural expressions and overloaded sentences occasionally obscure the intended meaning. The highest-priority improvement is to state the complaint and requested action in shorter, grammatically complete sentences using accurate prepositions and verb patterns.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are covered with concrete details about the camera, purchase location, missing accessories, and desired resolution.
Make the requested remedy completely precise by giving a usable delivery address or clearly asking for a refund if delivery is impossible.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information follows a sensible complaint-letter sequence, but the long central paragraphs and illogical link 'Besides' weaken the flow.
Separate the purchase circumstances, practical difficulty, and requested solution into shorter paragraphs with accurately chosen transitions.
Lexical Resource
The response uses adequate complaint and purchase vocabulary, although frequent collocational errors reduce precision and naturalness.
Use standard phrases such as 'regarding the camera', 'send the items to me', and 'refund the equivalent amount to my credit card'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The writer attempts complex sentences, but missing objects, faulty clause connections, tense errors, and inaccurate prepositions occur repeatedly.
Build shorter complete sentences and check pronoun reference, verb tense, and prepositions before combining ideas with relative or conditional clauses.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently bought a camera while traveling overseas. When you got to your destination you discovered that some important items were missing from the box. Write a letter to the local representative of the company. In your letter:
- give details of the camera and where you bought it
- explain what has happened
- say what you want him/her to do about it,
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.