IELTS-BLOG LETTERS OF BAND 8 IELTS Letter, topic: Leaving your current employment You have decided to leave your current employment. Write a letter to your employer. Include the following in your letter: - Explain why you are writing - Explain why you have decided to leave the company - Tell your employer what you plan to do after leaving your present employment Dear Sir/Madam I am writing this letter in regards to termination of my contract with the organization as a Guest Service Agent. The employment contract states a requirement of two weeks’ notice. Therefore, my last day of employment will be on 25th of May 2012. The decision was made due to personal reasons, as my family and I will be migrating to Singapore next month. Recently my husband has been offered a managerial position in a five-star hotel, which we thought would be a better prospect for his career. Once my family and I have settled down in Singapore, I plan to look for a “work at home” job which would allow me to have flexibility with my time and I would be able to take care of my children too. Leaving the company is a great loss for me as I have learnt a lot and was given opportunities to grow. Finally, I would like to thank you for the guidance provided during the period of my employment. Yours sincerely, Eve This letter covers the requirements of the task, all the bullet points are addressed sufficiently. The information and ideas are presented logically, and the paragraphing is appropriate. Although there are some instances of poor word choice and grammar, most of the sentences are error-free. Overall, seems worthy of Band 8 IELTS Letter, topic: An explanation for a relative A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening. Write a letter to
your relative. In your letter: - explain the arrangements you have made for them to get keys and enter the house - tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house - say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening Dear Tanya, How are you? I hope your journey was comfortable. I have an appointment with my dentist at 4 pm today and this is why I will not be at home when you will arrive. However, I have left the keys with Mr. Sharma at house #14. You can take the keys from him and enter the house. I have made some Chicken Biriyani for you and prepared the guest room upstairs so that you can rest. When you arrive, your train will stop at the Central railway station. You need to take the exit towards Roma Street. Once you come out of the station, you need to turn right and walk 100 metres. You will find the bus stop number 58 on the opposite side of the road. You need to catch bus number 333 and get off at Robertson Stop. My address is: #27, Fleetwood St, Macgregor. I will be in home by 5:30 pm, and so will be Sam and Harry as well. We have planned to watch “The Dark Knight” at home. I will make smoked salmon with chicken salad and we can have some wine with the dinner as well. See you soon. Lovingly Yours Tanay This letter covers the requirements of the task, all the bullet points are addressed sufficiently. The information and ideas are presented logically, and the paragraphing is appropriate. The use of vocabulary can be improved. Most of the sentences are error-free with only a few inappropriate words used. Overall, seems good enough for Band 8. IELTS Letter, topic: Telling a friend about a new job Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter - explain why you changed jobs - describe your new job - tell him/her your other news Dear John,
I am writing to let you know that I finally got a Software Engineer position in Google. I am so happy to share this news with you. As I told you earlier, my previous job was so boring for me. I kept working on fixing uncountable bugs of an existing system. Thus I started seeking new job opportunities 2 months ago. Since I walked in Google’s office during my first interview, I immediately knew that this was my ideal work place. My major responsibility is tuning search results on several Google products. The most exciting thing is that my supervisor is a pioneer in this area around the world. I believe that I can get enormous cuttingedge knowledge from him. Furthermore, I have bought a new house near my office. I would like to invite you to visit next month if you are free at that point of time. With best wishes, Michael This letter covers the task prompt fully. It has the right structure and its level of formality is suitable for a personal letter. The vocabulary and sentence structure is fine. The letter could have achieved a higher band score if it wasn’t for the errors (mouse over the words in blue will show suggested corrections). Seems worthy of Band 8. IELTS Letter, topic: Complaining to neighbours about their noisy dog Your neighbours have a dog that is noisy at night. You can’t sleep. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter: - describe the problem with the dog - explain why it is important for you to sleep - outline what your neighbours could do about the situation. Dear Mr and Mrs Brown, I am writing to you to bring to your attention a problem that i have been having with your dog at night. As you may already be aware of, your dog started making small detours at night around the neighborhood, digging holes in the gardens and often making loud noises. I was awoken by your dog’s barks several times lately, and I had even consulted a doctor and had been prescribed some sleeping pills. This wouldn’t have been as big of a problem for me if I wasn’t in the middle of my exams, but since I am, it is crucial for me to get good rest and sleep during the right hours; I have morning exams to wake up to.
I will therefore be grateful if you could have your dog looked after by another member of your family away from this neighborhood, even if only until my exams are over, which will be in about three weeks time. Thank you for taking time to read this letter, I hope you will address this issue soon. Yours sincerely, Jeongsup Byun This is a good letter on all accounts, except perhaps some inaccurate word choice and verb forms (bring the mouse over the words in blue to see suggested corrections). Such letter could be awarded Band 8 in a real IELTS exam. IELTS Letter, topic: Explaining to a friend how to look after your house You are going away to travel for the summer. A friend will be looking after your house while you are away. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - say where you are going - describe your house - explain some of the things your friend must do to look after your house. Dear Sam, Thank you in advance for looking after my house and my lovely puppies while I am on vacation. You know how excited I am to go to Bali! It is indeed a dream coming true now. I just want to let you know that my house has been renovated and since you haven’t been to my place for a couple of months, you have to use the stairs next to the car park instead of using the main entrance door. The ground floor will not be accessible and will be locked for maintenance reasons. I need to mention a couple of things which you need to look after during my absence. My dogs will be staying on the top floor and I will be very grateful if you can feed them thrice a week. Last but not least, could you please clean after the dogs as well? Please feel free to contact me in case of any emergencies on my cell phone 04245681112 or via email as well
[email protected]. Yes I know, I have not forgotten your treat as I owe you this one mate ! Thank you once again for your help.
See you soon, Jane The candidate has fairly addressed all the parts of the task statement. The information is organized well and conveyed coherently. The level of formality is suitable for a personal letter. In terms of sentence formation the writer has done well. The range of vocabulary is adequate for the requirements of the task response, although there are minor problems with word choice and grammar (bring the mouse over the words in blue to see suggested corrections). Overall, this letter is a good one, and seems worthy of Band 8. IELTS Letter, topic: Expressing dissatisfaction with a course at college You are not happy with the course you are doing at college and would like to change to a different course. Write a letter to the college director requesting to change your course. You should include details about: - what course are you doing now - why you are not satisfied with that course - what course would you like to change to Dear Mr. Hodgkins, I am currently enrolled in an Italian cooking class at St. James and am writing regarding some difficulties I have had while doing this subject for the past two weeks. I would like to know if it is possible for me to change my course. I believe that the last day allowed for students to make any changes was Wednesday 5th June but, my particular situation requires special consideration. The fact is that, during the enrolment session, no one mentioned that I needed to be literate in Italian, which I’m not. Therefore, you will comprehend that for me, getting an understanding of what the teacher is saying is beyond comprehensible. Thus, I am requesting that my current enrollment be transferred from the Italian course to the French cooking class. As unlike in Italian, I am fluent in French. I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to you and the staff and look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Sandrine Mo The student’s response covers the task question very well, the sentences have good structure, the level of formality is adequate and the vocabulary
is suitable for the purpose. Some expressions would sound better in different wording (see suggestions underlined in blue). Overall, this letter is a very good one, and seems worthy of Band 8.5. IELTS Letter, topic: A complaint about a purchase made online You have recently ordered an item through the Internet, but are not happy with the purchase. Write to the company. In your letter: - describe what you purchased, - explain why you are not happy with the purchase, - tell them what you would like them to do about the situation. Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this letter to express my disappointment with a recent purchase I made in your online store, order number #7298883. I ordered a set of soccer equipment that were advertised on your site as a package including 3 pairs of socks and a pair of soccer boots. However, on their arrival I found out that there were only 2 pairs of socks. In addition, there were scratches on the boots that suggest that they had been used before and returned to your store. I have since found the same offer on another website and will be returning the packages to your office. I have read the refund policy, and as I am dissatisfied with the product, I would like to request a full refund, as well as the postal and packaging fees. Should you have any questions, you can contact me via email, my address is
[email protected]. I look forward to a swift resolution to this matter. Yours sincerely, Raymond Jose The student has sufficiently addressed all the points in the task statement. The information is organized well and conveyed coherently. The paragraphing of the letter is fine. Even though some minor grammatical errors are present in this letter, it is a very good one, and seems worthy of Band 8. IELTS Letter, topic: Booking a hotel room You and your family are planning to spend a weekend at a seaside hotel. Task: Write a letter to the hotel making the arrangements. Let them know when you will be arriving and leaving, what type of rooms you would like,
and ask them how much the weekend will cost. Also enquire about activities and places of interest near the hotel. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing this letter to make arrangements for the stay during the weekend at your hotel and to get more information on the places of interest and different activities nearby. I will be arriving with my parents and wife to celebrate my parents’ wedding anniversary on the 4th of July which will be on Saturday morning, and leaving on the 7th of July afternoon. I am looking to book double-rooms with the attached bathroom for more privacy and convenience. I would love to have at least one bedroom with a balcony or seaside view for my parents. I would also appreciate if you could provide me with the list of activities that we can take part in during our stay for more fun and adventure. I prefer the locations to be nearby the hotel as we are not familiar with the place. Furthermore, I would also like to know if there are any historical sites or a market nearby where we can explore more about the place’s history and local culture. I would like to receive the detailed information through email or fax no later than the 4th of July with the total cost of stay during the weekend. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, A.G. The student has addressed all the parts of the task statement fairly well. The information is organized nicely and conveyed coherently. The grammar and sentence formation are mostly fine, with only minor improvements needed. The range of vocabulary is adequate for the requirements of the task response. Overall, this letter is a very good one, and seems worthy of Band 8. IELTS Letter, topic: Personal, asking for the forgotten file You stayed at your friends’ house when you participated in a business seminar in Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room. Task: Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it to you by post. My dearest Philip, I am sorry I am writing only now. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the attention and support you gave me while I was in Sydney. Things like that are
priceless and all I can give you is my gratitude. I expect you and Ingrid to come to Rio soon, so that I try to somehow propitiate equally joyful moments as those you propiciated to me. I am writing also, because of the fact that I forgot a very important document in the room where I stayed at your house. The document is a signed contract and was the most important reason for my trip to Australia, after the business seminar I attended. You certainly can imagine how desperate I have been in the last days looking for this document in my luggage. I could not find it anywhere and now I am sure I left it in your house. Please let me know if you find it, and post it with express delivery as soon as possible. I will pay for the expense; just let me know what is your bank, account and branch numbers. With best wishes, Leonardo This letter seems to be a band 8 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: An explanation for the boss You successfully passed a job interview. You are expected to start on November 15, but you will not be available on that date. Task: Write a letter to your new boss, explaining your situation, expressing your concern and suggesting a solution. Dear Sir/Madam, I am Leonardo Gomes and I have recently passed a job interview for the Software Engineer position at the Software Infrastructure group. I was expected to start on November 15, as agreed, and am writing because, unfortunately, I will not be able to present myself on that date. During the interview I estimated fifteen days as the amount of time needed for me to finish my activities at my current job and start at your company, but due to fact that I got sick for the last whole week and was not able to work, I could not finish my tasks and will need another week to do so. If necessary, I can give you a copy of a letter from my doctor informing that I had to stay at home and under medical care during that week. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and hope this will not affect our relationship. If I am expected to present any other form of proof or talk to someone else in the company, please let me know. Faithfully yours, Leonardo
This letter seems to be band 8 one. IELTS Letter, topic: Complaint about a laptop You have bought a new laptop computer and in a few days of purchase discovered a major flaw. Write a letter to the company. In your letter - introduce yourself - explain the situation - say what action you would like to company to take. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing you to express my dissatisfaction with a laptop computer I bought in your store four days ago. As soon as I turned on the computer, I realized that Windows operating system was not installed in it, even though the offer said it was included. In addition, I chose a gray laptop and the one I received is black. Moreover, the default language of the laptop is Japanese and I haven’t been able to change it to my native language, which is English. To make matters worse, the memory specifications of this laptop are not the same as the ones that I read in your catalog. I definitely need this situation to be solved as soon as possible. I made the decision to buy the laptop at your store, because of previous good recommendations some friends of mine gave me about your store. However, after this experience, I feel deceived. I would like you to send me the laptop I first chose at your store, including all the specifications is shown in the offer. If I don’t get a quick response to my request, I will demand a full refund of the payment I already made. Thanks in advance for your response. Yours faithfully, This is a good letter, all it need is a little more attention as there are certain language inaccuracies (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, this looks like a Band 7 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Asking for information about an executive event You are organizing an executive event for the company you work for. Task: Write a letter to the person in charge of a venue that you are considering for the event and ask for detailed information regarding dates, services and costs.
Dear Sir, I am writing to ask for information about organizing an executive event at your venue. My name is Marcia, I work for a multinational company, and we need prepare an event that will be held on December 17, 2007. I would like to obtain the following information: 1. How many people can your club contain? 2. What kind of food do you serve? 3. Is there any special service available for the disabled? 4. What time can we start the event? 5. Do you have any “animation service” to offer? 6. How much do you charge for your services? 7. Do you offer any transportation service? 8. Is there anything else included on your services? I would like to receive this information until October 2007, because I need to prepare the department in charge of the event and invite the target audience. You can send me this information via fax, using the number +55 (21) 3422-9559, or email me at:
[email protected]. I am confident that your company will provide us with the best type of service we need, based on abundance of good reviews about your company. Yours faithfully, Marcio Marinho This is a good letter. It covers the task, is correctly structured, and you used an appropriate style and vocabulary. There are some sentences that need a change in structure (see comments underlined in blue) and there are also repetitions of the same word, which should be avoided. Overall, looks like a Band 7 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Asking for information about a seminar You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Task: Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar and ask for detailed information regarding the dates, program, accommodation and cost. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to ask for information about the seminar that you are conducting during the next week.
I am an electronics wholesale dealer in Pakistan and I am interested to take part in this work-related seminar. I think that it would be very beneficial for me to see the latest electronic appliances and have an excellent opportunity to make contacts with different companies. Therefore, I need to get some information in detail such as the total period of time your seminar takes and the leaflets of different scheduled programs. In addition, I have a plan to come with my two staff members and would appreciate information about accommodation and total expenditure, which you have estimated for each person. You could send the above-mentioned information to my e-mail address. I would like to receive it as soon as possible to be able to prepare adequately before the departure. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, Athar Nafees This is a good letter. It covers the task, the information is organized well and each paragraph covers all the necessary details. There are some inaccuracies (see suggested changes in the comments underlined in blue). Overall, this looks like a Band 7 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Writing to a pen pal You have a pen friend living in another country and he/she is curious about the major news items in your country. Dear Amy, How are you? You didn’t write to me in ages. I remember in the last letter you had mentioned being interested in current affairs in India. The Reserve Bank of India has increased REPO rate by .50 basis points, which has lead to an increase in home loans’ rates. Rain in INDIA is too heavy this year compared to the past two years. Two years back Mumbai was flooded and all the normal life was halted for 1 – 2 days. Our President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, have finished his tenure on twenty first of July this year. Now we have Mrs. Patil as our new and First lady President in the Indian history. She has political background whereas Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam didn’t have.
After 14 years, people behind the Mumbai bomb blast in 1993 are finally being punished. Some are being sentenced to death and some have to serve a long time in prison. Take care. Be in Touch. This letter is not bad. It has the right structure (apart from the first paragraph, last sentence of which should be in the second paragraph) and covers the task, the vocabulary and the structure of sentences are fine. The logical connection of paragraphs needs some work, because it seems as though you are jumping from issue to issue, instead of linking them smoothly. Add some more personal touch in the last paragraph, ask how they are doing or what are their news. Don’t forget to sign your name in the end. See comments for detailed corrections. Overall, this looks like a Band 6.5 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Writing to a manager about problems at work You recently took a part-time job working for a local company. After a few weeks, you realized there were some problems with the job. Write a letter to the manager of the company. In your letter - Explain why you took the job - Describe the problems that you experienced - Suggest that what could be done about them Dear Manager, I am writing to explain you some difficulties, which I am experiencing since last month, and I would like to inform you. I am working a part time job with you in the evening and doing my masters degree in software programming in the morning and not only to help with my financial problem,but also to accomplish my skills in my field. But there are many troubles with the computer system here. First of all, it is not fully equipped with hardware and secondly, the software in it is not updated enough. Basically we are working for many famous companies to provide them software and also we assist them in case of any troubleshooting. Consequently, if the company provides the latest machines with updated software to their workers, it will not be merely expedient for the company reputation and progress. It can also give an edge to the Programmer, Designer and Hardware/Network Engineer to learn and work well for the company clients
in a better way. In this way, we can save our plethora of time and in return we can produce some fascinating work. I am looking forward to your passing my suggestion to higher management and hopefully they will take some corrective and optimistic action as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, A.I.N This letter is too long � 200 words instead of the advised 150-165. It is too extensive, I suggest that you make it shorter by summarizing some of the sentences. There are some confusing expressions and some incomplete sentences, the grammar needs attention. See comments (underlined in blue) for details. Overall, looks like Band 6.5 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Complaint about a faulty mobile phone You have bought a new mobile phone and in a few days after purchase it has stopped working. You spoken to the company representative a week ago but the phone 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 to company to take. Dear Sir/ Madam, I am writing to inform you about the faulty mobile phone that I have purchased in your store. My name is Christine B., I am a regular customer of your company. On the 10th of March, I bought a brand new Nokia XYZ mobile. However, upon one week of using it, problems started to appear. The flash of the camera is no longer working. Also, the monitor is getting blurry which makes it difficult for me to see the SMS messages clearly. I was very surprised to discover such problems in quite an expensive model. Naturally, I returned the mobile phone in your store to be replaced with a new one. One of your sales staff members told me that they will send it to my home address within one week. However, two weeks have passed without me receiving any replacement. I am very upset with your poor service.
In this regard, I insist on getting a refund of my full payment if the replacement will not arrive within one more week. Yours faithfully, Christine B. This is a very good letter. The structure of paragraphs and sentences, grammar, vocabulary, the length of the letter – everything is in order. There are some minor corrections (see comments underlined in blue). Otherwise, this looks like a Band 7 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Complaint about a rental car You rented a car from a Car Rental Company. The air conditioner has stopped working. You phoned the company a week ago but it still has not been repaired. Write a letter to the company. In your letter - introduce yourself - explain the situation - say what action you would like to company to take. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to complain about the air conditioner in my car, which I rented from your company for two weeks. Unfortunately, it has stopped working. I rented a Mercedes Benz 8 days ago and my customer number is 1230. Actually, what happened is when I was on my way from Jacksonville to Miami, although the atmosphere temperature was cooler, suddenly a sound came from the engine. At first, I thought that the engine belt was broken and I might not be able to drive the car any further. However, when I felt no air coming from the air conditioner, I realized it had stopped working. Naturally, when I got back home I immediately contacted your customer care center and registered my complaint. They issued me a complaint number 234343 and said that they will send a technician at my house within two to three business days to get it repaired. Almost one week has passed since I called, but still it is not being repaired. I am not at all satisfied with your customer service. In case you can’t resolve my problem within 2 business days after the receipt of this letter, I want a complete refund of the car rental payment which I made in advance, a total amount of $200.
Yours faithfully, Hasnain Siraj This is a good letter. It has the right structure, covers the task, the paragraphs are connected together by linking words and the sentences are well-structured. The grammar needs some attention, especially the prepositions and the way you use tenses (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, this looks like a Band 6.5 – 7 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: a migrant writes a letter to a friend You migrated to another country. Write a letter to your friend to describe your present life and tell him/her why you chose this country. Dear Linda, I’m sorry I haven’t been writing to you for such a long time. I am writing to let you know that I have migrated to Perth, Australia. My family and I arrived in Perth on the third of April and we have finally settled down. We migrated to Perth because my sisters and their families have also migrated there three years ago. We have planed to join them in Perth and also did this for the children’s education and their future as well. We have just settled in our new house and the kids are enjoying the pool almost every day. They have been attending a public school and have made quite a lot of friends. The people here are very friendly and helpful. John has also found a job near the city. The working environment here according to John is very different from Malaysia. As for me, I am a full time housewife, enjoying the morning coffee with the newspaper. Do let me know when you plan to visit Perth and you are always welcome to stay at my new house. With love, Sharon. This is a good letter. It has the correct structure, the task is covered, the sentences are nicely built and it leaves a good impression because of the fluency of the language. See comments underlined in blue for minor corrections. Overall, this looks like a band 7 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: item left on the bus Write a letter to a bus company saying you have left something valuable on the bus and tell them what to do if they find it.
Dear Sir/Madam, The reason I am writing this letter to you is because I have left my bag on your company’s bus which I took. It was on Tuesday 5th of August at around 3:00pm. The bus station where I boarded the bus was at Jalan Pinang (bus no 55) and I got down at Jalan Tujuan. I have tried to locate the bus and the driver but was unable too. The bag I lost was brown with some samples of custom-made jewellery of my company. There were 165 pieces of it in the bag. It’s the last set of samples that I have. Without the samples we have nothing to show to our customers. If you have found it could you please call me on 03 5192 6541 or email me at
[email protected] and I will arrange a pick-up from your office. Looking forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully S. Chua This letter needs some work. It covers the task and has the right structure. However the structure of the sentences needs some attention as well as the accuracy of expressions (see comments underlined in blue for more details). Overall, this looks like a Band 6.5 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Explanation of delayed first working day You successfully passed a job interview. You are expected to start on November 15, but you will not be available on that date. Task: Write a letter to your new boss, explaining your situation, expressing your concern and suggesting solutions. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to inform you that I won’t be able to start work on November 15, as agreed during my recent interview with you. The reason why I can’t start my work is that my mother has fallen down the stairs yesterday. As, I am the only daughter and there are no other relatives that are able to look after my mother, I have no choice but to go back to look after her. According to the doctors it will take about two weeks for her to be able to walk and take care of herself again. I apologize for all the inconvenience and I truly believe that you need me to be at work on that day for the project that is scheduled to be completed three weeks
later. I am able to work for home and will complete the project as agreed. I will also report to you through e-mail and if there is a problem, I will call and inform you along the way. Once again, I’m very sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. Yours faithfully, S. Chua. This is a good letter. It covers the task, has a good structure, the paragraphs are coherent. There are several grammatical errors (see comments underlined in blue) and a poorly structured sentence that needs improvement (it starts with “I apologize for all the inconvenience”). Overall, this looks like a band 6.5 letter – some improvement to grammar could take it to Band 7. IELTS Letter, topic: Asking for information on scholarships Dear Sir/Madam, I’m writing this letter to request more information about a scholarship/financial assistance offered by your College. I was awaiting in anticipation to enroll next year for the much coveted Diploma in English, but due to unfortunate circumstances, I found myself in a financial difficulty. I would appreciate it if you could steer me to the right path for scholarships information or if the college could provide me with financial assistance. My certificate in Secondary education shows above average grades. I have worked in a voluntary position on weekends teaching English to young foreign kids. I do have the means to pay back if a loan was approved by the college. My employer will vouch for my employment and provide you with a proof of my earnings. He could also arrange a monthly deduction from my salary to your bank account. I believe I have what it takes and I trust you would consider my request, by giving me the opportunity to continue my study. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours Faithfully, M Munsamy
This is a good letter. It has the right structure, covers the task, shows a good command of the English language, the sentences range in complexity, the grammar and spelling are fine. Some minor corrections were made, see comments. Overall, this looks like a Band 7 letter. IELTS Letter, topic: Cleaning job application Dear Sir/Madam, I’m writing this letter to apply for a position of a housekeeper as advertised in the “Daily News” on 6th of November 2007. I have worked for the “Care-givers” home for 5 years and thereafter was transferred to the main branch in Durban. This branch caters for two hundred people. I was appointed the supervisor, with five staff reporting to me. I have gained much experience in planning, organizing and leading in this job. I have worked with all types of people and know how to handle any problems that may arise. The reason why I would like to apply for this job is because your private home would benefit from my experience. I would be able to give much more attention to the needs of the home due to its size. My credentials speak for themselves. Please find them enclosed in this letter. I am looking forward to an interview to further discuss my experience with you. I hope to hear from you soon. Yours Faithfully, M Munsamy This is a good letter. It has the correct structure and covers the task. The sentences are mostly well structured, although some show use of inappropriate expressions. The vocabulary is fine.There are a few grammatical errors, see comments. Overall, this looks like a Band 6.5 – 7 letter. IELTS Letter: Some problems at work You recently took a part-time job working for a local company. After a few weeks you realized there were some problems with the job. Write a letter to the manager of the company. In your letter - explain why you took the job - describe the problems that you experienced - suggest what could be done about them. Dear Mr. Thompson,
I am a part-time call-centre operator at your company, started working about 4 weeks ago. I am writing to indicate the problem I encountered during my work. Actually, I decided to took the position of a telesales specialist because consider myself able to develop a career in sales due to my skill of establishing good contact with people and make them trust me. However, I realized there are some obstacles on a way to success. The problems started 3 weeks ago then the system administrator updated my software. At the time of a call I was querying a customer for his personal data then suddenly my computer reloaded and this person’s profile was lost. This situation repeated in the future for several times. I asked the system administrator to solve this problem, but he told me this is solely my fault and my computer skills are below required to use this program. I am assured the complete situation makes company profits lower. I believe that software managing specialist could fix the problem if the initiative would be taken by a senior manager of your rank. Sincerely yours, Anna Frank 192 words, Expected IELTS Band - 7 IELTS letter: Damaged suitcase You traveled by long distance bus recently and your suitcase was damaged. Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter - inform the bus company of when and to where you traveled - describe your suitcase and what happened to it - explain why the company should pay for a new suitcase. Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to require a compensation for the property damage, taken place at the time of the traveling by the bus of your company. I traveled from Washington, D.C. to Boston by the bus #301 on February 21, 2007. Before the trip I passed my luggage to the driver, who helped me to place my suitcase in the luggage compartment of the bus. After arrival the driver opened this back compartment and the first thing I saw was that my new and brand-name suitcase was smashed under the pressure of the weight of the other’s luggage. My suitcase was quite firm and very beautiful in its red colour and modern design. However it obviously hasn’t been designed to resist such a weight on it. I am very depressed because I can not use anymore my broken suitcase, its handle was bended and two wheels out of 4 were detached.
Since damage stated above was caused by the careless actions of your employee, I would like to require a compensation of $200, which was the original price of my suitcase. Please, deliver a cheque to the address, written above. Faithfully yours, Anna Frank 197 words, Expected IELTS Band - 6.5-7 IELTS Letter: Bad service at a shop You recently had your computer fixed at the local computer store however you are not pleased with the service you received. Write a letter to the store manager. In the letter - describe the situation - explain why you are dissatisfied - say what you want the manager to do. Write at least 150 words. Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I received at your establishment. Actually, the computer I have bought at your store on the late January was quite good, however after just half a year things got wrong. Some programs were getting frozen frequently. When I took my computer to your specialist and tried to explain the problem to the technician Michaels, he refused to take my computer into service because the problem did not appear that time. I was trying to convince him to spend more time to identify the reason it is getting stuck, but he was rude and impatient explaining this is the end of his shift. On the next day another technician listened to me carefully and fixed my computer in 10 minutes. I suppose your employee Michaels is not suitable for his position because of his unprofessional. I suggest you to employ someone more skilled and with better personality in order not to cause your customers to loose their time like me. Faithfully yours, Anna Frank 177 words, Expected IELTS Band - 6-6.5 IELTS Letter: Homestay in a New Zealand family You are going to visit New Zealand for an 'English and Homestay' program. You have just received details of your homestay host family. Write your first letter to the family. In your letter - introduce yourself - ask the family some questions to get information that is important to you - tell the family about your arrival date and time.
This task was taken from the book IELTS on Track: Test Practice General Training. Dear Mr Jones, I have just received details of my future homestay at your family and writing to introduce myself and ask for some further information. My name is Anna Frank, I am 21 and live with my family in Lyon, France, which is my hometown. My native language is French and I am looking forward to improving my English during the trip to New Zealand. I would be grateful if you could provide more information about your family and its lifestyle. To begin with, I would like to ask you about your usual diet. It is very important to me since I am a vegetarian. Secondly, I would like to learn more about your family’s day routines, like games you used to play together, in order to get familiar with these activities while I am here. This could help me to participate in all your routines like a relative. I am very eager to meet you in person! By the way, I have already bought the plane ticket and would be happy if you could meet me at the airport because this will be my first time abroad. I will arrive on September 13, at 10 am, Wellington time. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely yours, Anna Frank. 213 words, Expected IELTS Band - 7 IELTS Letter: Unable to attend a course You are employed full-time and also doing a part time evening course. You are not able to continue the course. Write a letter to the course lecturer. In the letter - explain why you cannot continue the course - describe the situation - say what you will be doing. Write at least 150 words. Dear Dr. Jones, I am writing to inform you that I no longer have a possibility to attend your evening lectures on treating emergencies. As I told you earlier, I received a position of a nurse at the Thompson Hospital. My shift ends at 5 pm and since I have got a lot of overtime job recently, I found myself unable to be on time at your lectures, which start at 5.30 pm. This disappoints me a lot since I value
and respect your course and your experience. I would be grateful if you could consider letting me to study your course myself. Because of my job is closely related to the accidents treatment, I feel able to learn every point of the course in practice. In addition, I have already read almost every book you recommended as the supplementary reading for your lectures. I hope to get your approval on this matter soon. I am looking forward to receiving your response. Sincerely yours, Anna Frank 166 words, Expected IELTS Band - 6-6.5 IELTS Letter: Local club membership cancellation For the past year you have been a member of a local club. Now you want to discontinue your membership. Write a letter to the club secretary. In your letter - state what type of membership you have and how you have paid for this; - give details of how you have benefited from the club; - explain why you want to leave. Dear Mr. Jones, I regret to inform you that I have to discontinue my membership at your Golden Hook Fishing Club. I joined the Club 1 year ago and the benefits from the participation exceeded the fee. Round tables and lectures of famous fishermen were absolutely brilliant. Moreover, discounts on the equipment in sports gear shops helped me to save money. The last but not the least, your monthly illustrated magazine was a precious treat to me. Unfortunately I have to move to another country because my father, living in France, is in a desperate health condition. I must acknowledge that continuing the membership in your Club is no longer an option to me. I have paid the last year fee by my credit card and its details are in your database. Because of stated above I would like to ask you not to charge me for the following year. I hope that in the future I will have an opportunity to recommence having advantages of participation in your Club. Sincerely yours, Anna Frank 174 words, Expected IELTS Band - 7
IELTS letter: Apologizing for the noise Your neighbors have recently written to you to complain about the noise from your house flat. Write a letter to your neighbors. In your letter explain the reasons for the noise apologize, scribe what action you will take Dear Mr. Jones, I am writing in response to your letter, complaining about the sounds my musical instrument is producing. I feel that I have to explain myself and humbly ask for your forgiveness. Actually, I am a student of the North Carolina Arts College and as a part of my end of term exams I have to perform 4 plays by flute. Therefore I have to rehearse every day because I am eager to make a good impression to my teachers. To achieve my goal I am supposed to play about 3 hours a day. I must apologize for playing in inappropriate hours. It was my entire fault since I did not bother reading the rules of our house owner, prohibiting playing musical instruments. I have consulted with my class teacher and he suggested me to use one of the rooms of the college to rehearse for a small fee. I assure you by no means will be disturbed again with the noise from my apartment. I beg for your understanding and forgiveness. Please, accept this box of chocolate as a token of my appreciation for not giving this problem a legal action. Yours sincerely, Anna Frank This is a great letter. It is written according to all the guidelines and will probably get Band 7 at least. Pay more attention to grammar though. You are going on a short course to a training college abroad. It is a college that you have not been to before. Write a letter to the accommodation officer. In your letter
give details of your course and your arrival/departure date explain your accommodation needs ask for information about getting to and from the college
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to inform you that I will be attending the Advanced Life Insurance course, being held from Tuesday 24th April until 27rd April, at the University of Hartford. I will be arriving on the afternoon of Monday 23th and will be leaving on the morning of Saturday the 28th of April, so I will require a single room for this time. I would prefer my own bathroom, if this is possible, but do not mind sharing if I have to; however, as I am wheelchair bound, the room will have to be disability friendly. Could you please tell me how much this will cost and how I should make a payment? Do you accept VISA? As I do not know the area, I would also be grateful if you could provide some information about getting to and from the University. Will I need to take public transport from the station or is there a University bus service? Any information on what to see and do in the area would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance. Alex Jones (184 words) You are looking for a part-time job. Write a letter to an employment agency. In your letter
introduce yourself explain what sort of job you would like and say what experience and skills you have
Dear Sir/Madam, I am a German national from Heidelberg and at present I am studying for a Master’s degree in Commercial Law here, at the University of Bielefeld, where I have been for the last two months. I am looking for a part-time job and I wonder if you can help me. Probably, I would like an office job, perhaps working as a secretary, office administrator or typist. I can only work during the afternoons and at weekends as my university studies occupy most of the day. I would be ready to start immediately. I am a competent typist and I am computer-literate. In addition, I speak Polish and German fluently and I have been learning English for the past three years. While I studied for my degree, I worked as a part-time office manager for an import-export firm in Heidelberg. In recent years, I have also had temporary summer jobs as a hotel receptionist in Mannheim, Germany. I am looking forward to hearing from you, Yours faithfully, Heinrich Bukowski (170 words)
You stayed at your friends? house when you participated in a business seminar in Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room. Task: Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it to you by post. My dearest Philip, I am sorry I am writing only now. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the attention and support you gave me while I was in Sydney. Things like that are priceless and all I can give you is my gratitude. I expect you and Ingrid to come to Rio soon, so that I try to somehow propiciate equaly joyful moments as those you propiciated to me. I am writing also, because of the fact that I forgot a very important document in the room I used in your house. This document is a signed contract and was the most important reason of my trip to Australia, after the business seminar I attended. You certaintly can wonder how desperate I have been in the last days looking for this document midst my luggage. I could not find it anywhere and am sure I left it in your house. Please let me know if you find it, and post it for express delivery as soon as possible. I will pay for the expense; just let me know what is your bank, account and branch numbers. With best whishes, Leonardo
