You recently bought a piece of equipment for your kitchen but it did not work. You phoned the shop but no action was taken. Write a letter to the shop manager. In your letter: - describe the problem with the equipment - explain what happened - when you phoned the shop - say what you would like the manager to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with a recent purchase from your store. I bought a blender from your shop a week ago and it stopped working the very next daymalfunctioned the very next day. I hope that you will replaceI am hoping that you would replace it immediately or refund me the full amount. I purchased a Morphy Richards Express Blender from your shop on 18th May 2025. I came home and set up the blenderinstalled the blender the next morning by following the instructions provided in the manual. UnfortunatelyTo my surprise, the blender did not switch on. I tried to switch it onI tried to do it a few more times before I finally phoned your shop. MyThe order number is 23650247 and I am attaching a copy of my receipt. Judy, who answered the phone, confirmed that the installation steps were correct and suggested that it may be a manufacturing defect. She assured me that the equipment would be replaced and that someone from the shop would comearrive to collect the blender. It has been five days since then and I have not yet been contactedI am yet to be contacted by someone from your shop. I request you to look into the matter and arrangesuggest a solution. I am ready to drive down to the shop to hand over the blender, in case a pickupin case, a pickup cannot be arranged. Kindly replace it with a new one or refund me the full amount as soon as possibleafter you read this letter. I look forward to a speedy resolution.Looking forward to a speedy resolution. Yours faithfully, James Walker
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter’s strongest feature is its complete, practical account of the faulty blender, the phone conversation, the delay, and the requested remedy. Clear sequencing and precise complaint vocabulary support the message, although the final section repeats the replacement-or-refund request and includes a few unnatural phrases and minor grammatical lapses. The highest-priority improvement is to state one preferred remedy concisely at the end using natural consumer-complaint language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully covers the problem, what happened after purchase, when the shop was phoned, and the desired replacement or refund. The request is clear and practical.
Place the preferred remedy at the end in one concise sentence, so the manager knows exactly what action to take first.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence is clear and detailed, moving from purchase to installation, phone call, delay, and requested solution. Cohesion is strong overall, though the final request repeats earlier information.
Reduce repeated refund/replacement wording and keep the final paragraph focused on the requested action.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is appropriate and precise for a complaint, including "malfunctioned", "manufacturing defect", and "receipt". Some phrases are slightly unnatural, such as "installed the blender" and "after you read this letter".
Use common consumer-complaint collocations such as "set up the blender", "arrange collection", and "as soon as possible".
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is generally accurate with a good range of sentence structures. Minor issues with modality, commas, and fragments reduce polish but meaning remains clear.
Check polite request modals and avoid sentence fragments in the closing.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently bought a piece of equipment for your kitchen but it did not work. You phoned the shop but no action was taken. Write a letter to the shop manager. In your letter:
- describe the problem with the equipment
- explain what happened
- when you phoned the shop
- say what you would like the manager to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.