You borrowed a book from a public library and the book is now damaged. Write a letter to the librarian to explain the situation. In your letter mention: - details about the book - how it was damaged - what you want to do about it
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am a member of your library, the Graham Public Library,library- The Graham Public Library and have been enjoying my membership for the past three years. I would like to explain why I have been unable to return a book I borrowed two weeks ago. I am hoping that you willwould allow me to purchase a new book of the same title and not imposeand do not impose any fine on my membership. I am Shirley Beth and my library membership number is CA-GP 125401. I borrowed the book 'The Watsons' - a novel by Jane Austen, on 24th July and the deadline to return the book was on 2nd August. Unfortunately, on 1st August, I found that the book's coverthe cover page of the book was missinggone and pages 10 to 24 were missing! It's hard to read the rest of this book since there are many scratchestonnes of scratches on it. I believeOff the top of my head, my dog damaged the book while I was at a partywhen I was out to attend a party with a few college friends. I believeguess I forgot to feed my dog when I left for the partyhurried out to attend a party. He was too hungry that thought the book was something he can eat. I must confess it was a mistake I should have been more careful about it. I accept that I am responsiblecannot deny that I should be responsible for the damage to the bookthe book of indemnity. However, as an long-standing memberold member and a regular visitor to your library, I would request you to allow me to make amends by purchasing another copy of the same titlecompensate for that by purchasing the same book within the next week. I would also request you not to impose any late fee or penalty for the incident. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Shirley Beth
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response clearly identifies the book, explains the damage, accepts responsibility, and proposes a practical replacement, so its communicative purpose remains easy to follow. Its main limitation is uneven control of formal register and language, with conversational expressions, awkward collocations, and several faulty sentence structures. Prioritising consistently professional phrasing and correcting clause construction would make the request more credible and polished.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All requested points are covered with substantial detail and a clear proposed solution, but parts of the explanation are over-elaborate and too conversational for a librarian.
Keep the account concise and consistently formal, focusing on the damage, responsibility, and proposed replacement rather than the party and feeding details.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas follow a broadly logical sequence, but presenting the entire letter as one block weakens paragraphing and makes some transitions feel crowded.
Divide the letter into clear paragraphs for identification, the damage, and the requested remedy.
Lexical Resource
There is enough vocabulary to explain the incident precisely, but several expressions are inappropriate or inaccurate, including "off the top of my head" and "responsible for the book of indemnity."
Replace conversational or misused phrases with accurate formal choices such as "I believe," "liable for the damage," and "replace the book."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response mixes accurate complex sentences with recurring errors in clause structure, punctuation, and verb patterns, though meaning is generally clear.
Focus on complete clause construction and accurate patterns, especially in sentences such as "He was so hungry that he thought the book was food."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You borrowed a book from a public library and the book is now damaged. Write a letter to the librarian to explain the situation. In your letter mention:
- details about the book
- how it was damaged
- what you want to do about it
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.