You are a university student in the UK and have recently lost your university ID card. Write to the local police station. In your letter: - give details of who you are - explain what happened - ask the police to record your details so that you can apply for a new ID card
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this letter to report on a lost identification card which was issued by my university. My name is Paul Jeremy, and I am a final year post-graduate student at the University of Manchester, majoring in Finance. As soon as I became aware that I do not have my student ID with me this morning, I immediately informed the university authority about it. But, in response, they asked me to report the incident to the local police. Of course, the local police authority would need to record some specific information about what I did yesterday or which places I visited, so I will go ahead and do just that. To begin with, yesterday, after finishing my classes, I went to Victoria Park for a while. After that, I went to the Curry Mile in order to eat some food before going back to my home on Denmark Road. By the way, my ID card number is BK – 4982372 and it has my picture on it. So, based on these details above, please provide me with some necessary documents at your earliest convenience so that I can apply for another student ID. Yours faithfully, Paul Jeremy
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct report construction Original: report on a lost identification card Suggested revision: report a lost identification card Why it matters: The verb 'report' takes the lost item directly in this construction.
- 2. Form compound modifier Original: final year post-graduate student Suggested revision: final-year postgraduate student Why it matters: 'Final-year' needs a hyphen before the noun, and 'postgraduate' is normally one word.
- 3. Keep past tense Original: do Suggested revision: did Why it matters: The discovery happened this morning, so the subordinate verb should remain in the past.
- 4. Use natural institution term Original: authority Suggested revision: authorities Why it matters: The plural form naturally refers to the relevant university officials.
- 5. Remove faulty connector Original: But, in response Suggested revision: In response Why it matters: The initial conjunction and following comma are unnecessary before this response link.
- 6. Refer to details clearly Original: I will go ahead and do just that Suggested revision: I have provided those details below Why it matters: The revision points directly to the information supplied later in the letter.
- 7. Use concise return phrase Original: before going back to my home Suggested revision: before returning home Why it matters: The shorter expression is more natural and preserves the sequence of events.
- 8. Use formal reference link Original: By the way Suggested revision: For reference Why it matters: A direct reference link better suits a formal letter to the police.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: So, based on these details above, please provide me with some necessary documents at your earliest convenience so that I can apply for another student ID. Suggested revision: Based on the details above, please record my report and provide written confirmation at your earliest convenience so that I can apply for a replacement student ID. Why it matters: The rewrite explicitly asks the police to record the loss and replaces the vague request for 'some necessary documents'.
- 10. Separate letter functions Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for your identity, the sequence of events and your request to the police. Why it matters: The single block makes the three required parts less easy to locate.
Suggested Rewrites
- report on a lost identification card report a lost identification card
- final year post-graduate student final-year postgraduate student
- do did
- authority authorities
- But, in response In response
- I will go ahead and do just that I have provided those details below
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter establishes a clear formal purpose and provides specific personal, identification, and movement details that would help the police document the loss. Its main limitation is that the account is compressed into one paragraph and the final request asks for documents rather than directly asking the police to record the incident. The highest-priority improvement is to present the events chronologically and make the requested police action explicit in a focused closing paragraph.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are addressed with relevant detail and a suitably formal tone, although the final request only indirectly asks the police to record the loss.
Explicitly request an official loss report or reference number needed for the replacement university ID application.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a broadly logical sequence from identity to recent movements and the request, but the single-paragraph format and conversational transitions weaken organisation.
Use separate paragraphs for personal details, the circumstances of the loss, and the requested police record.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is sufficiently varied and formal for reporting a loss, though several phrases are awkward or imprecise.
Use natural expressions such as 'report a lost ID card', 'university administration', 'record the incident', and 'replacement card'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence structures is used with generally good control, despite occasional tense inconsistency and unnecessary punctuation.
Keep past-time reporting consistent, for example 'I realised this morning that I did not have my student ID'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are a university student in the UK and have recently lost your university ID card. Write to the local police station. In your letter:
- give details of who you are
- explain what happened
- ask the police to record your details so that you can apply for a new ID card
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.