Letter

Band 6+: Last week, you lost your luggage while traveling on holiday. Luckily, you have travel insurance. Write a letter to the manager of your insurance company. In your letter: Describe the characteristics of what you lost Explain how you lost it Tell the insurance company what you need from them Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,

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Dear Sir,

I am writing to inform you about my lost luggage during my journey last week. I traveled from England to New Zealand on July 17th. I had my luggage with me until I arrived at the airport. Unfortunately, after my departure, I could not find it.

The suitcase is black in colour and has a yellow color key tag attached to it. Inside of the luggage, I had some important documents, my wallet, a make up pouch and several clothes. Due to the loss of these documents and my wallet, I am unable to attend to the office these days.

I would be really appreciate if you could help me locate my luggage as soon as possible. I am facing many difficulties du to this matter. Please contact me immediately if you could find any information regarding it.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Tharindi

Word Count: 150

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Overall Band Score

(+/- 0.5)

Vocabulary Complexity:
B1 - Intermediate
Using more sophisticated words could be beneficial.

Grammar Mistakes: N/A

Vocabulary Repetition:

luggage: 4

could: 3

Try using synonyms for the above words

Task Response

The letter addresses all three bullet points, but the development of the content is somewhat thin. While you described the luggage and what you need, the explanation of 'how' you lost it is quite vague (simply stating it was missing after departure does not fully explain the circumstances of the loss). Additionally, the prompt asks you to write to an insurance company to claim for the loss, but your request focuses on asking them to 'locate' the luggage, which is typically the responsibility of the airline, not the insurer. To improve, ensure you clearly explain the specific incident (e.g., theft, airline mishandling) and clearly state that you are seeking financial compensation or a claim settlement as per your policy. Aim to expand on each point to ensure the response is sufficiently detailed.

Coherence & Cohesion

The letter follows a logical progression, addressing the prompts in a sequential manner. However, the transitions between sentences are somewhat abrupt, making the flow feel a bit mechanical. To improve, try using more sophisticated cohesive devices (e.g., 'Consequently,' 'As a result of this,' or 'Regarding the contents of the bag...') to link your ideas more smoothly. Additionally, ensure that the paragraphing clearly separates the description of the loss from the request for assistance.

Lexical Resource

The vocabulary used is appropriate and clear, which ensures the message is understood. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive (e.g., using 'luggage' frequently). To reach a higher band, aim for more precise and varied vocabulary. Instead of 'black in colour,' you could use 'jet-black' or 'charcoal.' Instead of 'important documents,' you might specify 'essential travel documents' or 'identification papers.' Also, note the spelling error in 'du' (due).

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

There are several grammatical inaccuracies that impact the professional tone required for a formal letter. For instance, 'I would be really appreciate' should be 'I would really appreciate' or 'I would be very appreciative.' The phrase 'attend to the office' is also slightly unnatural in this context; 'attend work' or 'carry out my professional duties' would be better. While the sentence structures are generally correct, they are quite simple. Incorporating more complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences (e.g., 'If the luggage is not recovered shortly, I will need to file a claim for the contents'), would demonstrate better control.

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You recently attended a two-day training course, but the course was poorly organised and the materials were outdated. Write a letter to the course organiser. In your letter: explain why you attended the course describe what you were dissatisfied with suggest how the course can be improved

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Coherence & Cohesion

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Grammatical Range & Accuracy

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