Your car was hired from a company and while you were driving on holiday, you had a small accident. You will have to write a report to the company to explain it. Write a letter to the company. In your letter, you need to explain the following: - when and where you hired the car - describe how the accident happened - what kind of action you took after the accident
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I have recently rented a car from your Wandsworth showroom in London for a duration of two weeks. Unfortunately, I was involved in a minor accident while driving to Heathrow airport. I am hoping you would go through the report attached to this letter and handle the incident with professionalism as you always do. With regards to the car that I hired, it is a Honda Civic Hybrid sedan car with the number plate GB LN58RTV. I hired it on 26th May and have paid a week's rent upfront. I would like to commend your company for their professionalism and the service offered as I have always relied on your service whenever I needed to hire a car. Unfortunately, I had an unavoidable accident involving another party while I was off to the airport to receive my cousin on 2nd June. The accident was caused by the other car failing to stop at the red light at the intersection I was passing through, and as such, the second party collided into the driver's side of my automobile. The driver of the other car agreed to pay £800 as compensation when I informed the police. The police have recorded information regarding the accident and the other driver’s insurance details. The second party's insurance company has been informed as well. I would like to request that a replacement vehicle should be offered while my current vehicle is incapacitated. Once again, I would like to commend your company's professional attitude. Yours faithfully, David Clark
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use concise wording Original: for a duration of two weeks Suggested revision: for two weeks Why it matters: The duration is already clear without the phrase a duration of.
- 2. Capitalise proper name Original: airport Suggested revision: Airport Why it matters: Airport is part of the official place name and should be capitalised.
- 3. Use current request Original: hoping you would go through Suggested revision: hope you will review Why it matters: The finite verb and present request form are clearer, and review is more formal than go through.
- 4. Request specific handling Original: handle the incident with professionalism as you always do Suggested revision: process the accident report promptly Why it matters: The revision asks for a concrete response rather than offering general praise.
- 5. Correct the phrase Original: regards Suggested revision: regard Why it matters: The fixed expression is with regard to, without a final s.
- 6. Remove redundant noun Original: Hybrid sedan car Suggested revision: Hybrid sedan Why it matters: Sedan already identifies the type of car.
- 7. Use formal term Original: number plate GB LN58RTV Suggested revision: registration number GB LN58RTV Why it matters: Registration number is more precise in a formal accident report.
- 8. Use standard date Original: 26th Suggested revision: 26 Why it matters: Formal British date style normally omits the ordinal suffix.
- 9. Use consistent past tense Original: and have paid a week's rent Suggested revision: and paid a week's rent Why it matters: The completed payment should use the simple past like hired.
- 10. Match possessive reference Original: their Suggested revision: its Why it matters: The singular company requires the possessive determiner its.
- 11. Clarify the provider Original: the service offered Suggested revision: the service you provide Why it matters: The revision states who provides the service and sounds more natural.
- 12. Use present for repeated reliance Original: needed Suggested revision: need Why it matters: The present tense fits an ongoing pattern introduced by have always relied.
Suggested Rewrites
- for a duration of two weeks for two weeks
- airport Airport
- hoping you would go through hope you will review
- handle the incident with professionalism as you always do process the accident report promptly
- regards regard
- Hybrid sedan car Hybrid sedan
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter gives a precise, professional account of the hire, accident, police report, insurance details, and compensation arrangement, fully supporting the company’s need to assess the incident. Its strongest feature is the specific chronology and documentation. The main improvement is concision: repeated praise of the company and the extra replacement request distract slightly from the required report. Prioritise a streamlined factual account and a clear list of attached evidence.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully developed with specific dates, locations, accident details, and documented post-accident actions in an appropriate formal tone.
Mention the attached police or insurance reference explicitly and keep the optional replacement request separate from the factual report.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses logically from hire details to the collision, police and insurance action, and the final request, with strong overall clarity.
Remove repeated praise and use short paragraphs for hire information, accident circumstances, and actions taken.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally precise for an accident report, with occasional awkward phrases such as ‘second party’ and ‘collided into’.
Use ‘other driver’, ‘collided with’, ‘police report’, ‘insurance details’, and ‘replacement vehicle’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of structures is generally well controlled, despite minor issues with agreement, prepositions, and the request construction.
Use ‘I request that a replacement vehicle be provided’ and ensure company references remain consistently singular.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your car was hired from a company and while you were driving on holiday, you had a small accident. You will have to write a report to the company to explain it. Write a letter to the company. In your letter, you need to explain the following:
- when and where you hired the car
- describe how the accident happened
- what kind of action you took after the accident
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.