You have bought a new camera but when you got it home you found it had some problems. You returned the camera and spoke to the company representative a week ago but the camera 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, I have recently bought a Samsung digital camera from your showroom. I was excited to bring it home but disappointed to find that it did not work as expected. To add more misery, even after I returned it to your store to claim the warranty, I am yet to hear an update. I am hoping to get my camera replaced by a new one. I have bought a Samsung NX410 40MP camera from 125 Oxford St, Soho showroom on 10th December. Unfortunately, it malfunctioned just after I took it home. I cannot take pictures and it turns off automatically. The very next day, I visited your showroom and talked to Cynthia, one of your representatives, who assured me that the camera would be replaced within 24 hours. When I called her again, she told me that it would take a few more days and would be repaired instead of being replaced. When I demanded the reason, she failed to answer. It has been almost a week since I purchased the camera from your store. The faulty product should be your responsibility, not mine. One of my relatives has advised me to talk to the Consumer Rights Authority and file a complaint against your company but I will wait till 24th (the day before Christmas). I am attaching the receipt of the purchase. I still believe in your brand reputation. I would like you to take immediate action against the misconduct I experienced. Yours faithfully, Ginna Maria
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural expression Original: To add more misery Suggested revision: To make matters worse Why it matters: To make matters worse is the natural expression for introducing an additional problem.
- 2. Correct warranty phrase Original: claim the warranty Suggested revision: make a warranty claim Why it matters: Make a warranty claim is the standard collocation for requesting coverage under a warranty.
- 3. Correct the collocation Original: hear Suggested revision: receive Why it matters: Receive an update is the natural collocation in this context.
- 4. State the request directly Original: I am hoping to get my camera Suggested revision: I would like my camera Why it matters: This wording makes the requested remedy more direct and appropriately formal.
- 5. Correct replacement phrase Original: by Suggested revision: with Why it matters: Replace an item with another item is the correct construction here.
- 6. Use simple past Original: I have bought a Samsung NX410 40MP camera Suggested revision: I bought a Samsung NX410 40MP camera Why it matters: The simple past is required because the purchase is linked to a specific date.
- 7. Fix address structure Original: from 125 Oxford St, Soho showroom Suggested revision: from your showroom at 125 Oxford St, Soho Why it matters: The revised prepositions clearly connect the showroom with its street address.
- 8. Use concise timing Original: just after I took it home Suggested revision: as soon as I took it home Why it matters: As soon as states the immediate timing more naturally.
- 9. Use formal wording Original: talked Suggested revision: spoke Why it matters: Spoke to is more suitable for describing a formal conversation with a representative.
- 10. Use natural phrasing Original: demanded the reason Suggested revision: asked for an explanation Why it matters: Asked for an explanation is the natural way to request a reason in this context.
- 11. Use formal contact verb Original: talk to the Consumer Rights Authority Suggested revision: contact the Consumer Rights Authority Why it matters: Contact is more concise and formal when referring to approaching an organisation.
- 12. Add contrast comma Original: against your company but Suggested revision: against your company, but Why it matters: A comma is needed before but when it joins two independent clauses.
Suggested Rewrites
- To add more misery To make matters worse
- claim the warranty make a warranty claim
- hear receive
- I am hoping to get my camera I would like my camera
- by with
- I have bought a Samsung NX410 40MP camera I bought a Samsung NX410 40MP camera
Why this response received Band 7.0
The complaint is detailed, chronological, and appropriately firm, explaining the camera faults, the representative's changing promises, the delay, and the desired replacement. Its main limitation is that the requested remedy becomes less precise near the end, while several unnatural collocations weaken the otherwise capable language. The highest priority is to state one specific action and deadline clearly, then refine complaint vocabulary for a professional, measured tone.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter introduces the purchase, explains the unresolved problem in detail, and requests a replacement, though the final action sought becomes somewhat vague.
End with an explicit request to replace the camera by 24 December or provide a full refund, rather than asking generally for immediate action.
Coherence and Cohesion
Events unfold in a clear chronological order with effective referencing, but the lack of paragraph breaks makes the dense complaint harder to scan.
Divide the letter into purchase and fault, return and delay, and requested resolution paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
There is a good range of complaint and consumer vocabulary, but recurring awkward collocations reduce naturalness and professional precision.
Use phrases such as make a warranty claim, receive an update, asked for an explanation, and protect your brand's reputation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex sentences with generally strong control, and the remaining tense and construction errors are non-impeding.
Keep completed purchase events in the simple past and reserve the present perfect for the unresolved period continuing to the present.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have bought a new camera but when you got it home you found it had some problems. You returned the camera and spoke to the company representative a week ago but the camera 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.