Letter

Band 6+: You recently ordered some furniture online for your home. When the items arrived, you noticed several problems. Write a letter to the customer service department. In your letter: say when you placed the order describe the problems with the furniture explain what you would like the company to do Write at least 150 words.

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Dear Shop,

I hope you are all well.

I am writing to present a complaint (reclamação) about a sofa that I acquired from your shop one week ago. Unfortunately, the item displays some nonconformities, that have caused me considerable discomfort. The big problem is that the color of sofa is changing and giving it a terrible appearance. Furthermore, when my children use the sofa, they start to feel some irritation or allergic reaction.

After discovering these problems, I tried to contact your customer service by telephone, and the company tried to offer me solutions to resolve the situations, but unfortunately, they didn’t work. The colour is still the same and people are also getting itchy in all body.

As the product was delivered with the defects, I would like your shop to provide me a new item or refund the full amount. I would also appreciate it, if possible your shop collect the item from my home at no additional cost.

I look forward to your response and a resolution to this subject

Kind regards,

Maria Amado

Word Count: 177

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Overall Band Score

(+/- 0.5)

Vocabulary Complexity:
B2 - Upper Intermediate
Opt for even more advanced words when appropriate.

Grammar Mistakes: N/A

Vocabulary Repetition:
No noticeable repetition! Great job!

Task Response

The letter addresses all parts of the task effectively. You clearly stated when the order was placed, described the specific issues (color change and allergic reactions), and provided clear solutions (replacement, refund, or collection). The tone is appropriate for a formal complaint. To improve and reach a higher band, ensure the vocabulary is more natural; for example, instead of 'the color of sofa is changing,' use 'the color of the sofa is fading or changing,' and instead of 'people are also getting itchy in all body,' use 'it causes skin irritation across the body.' Additionally, avoid including translations like '(reclamação)' in the final text, as this is not standard in English writing.

Coherence & Cohesion

The letter follows a logical progression, addressing all three bullet points from the task. However, the transitions between ideas could be smoother. For instance, the jump from describing the physical defect to the health issue is a bit abrupt. To improve, use more sophisticated cohesive devices to link the description of the problem to the failed attempt at a solution. Additionally, ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus to enhance the flow of information.

Lexical Resource

You have used some good vocabulary such as 'nonconformities' and 'considerable discomfort.' However, there are several instances of imprecise or unnatural phrasing. For example, 'the color of sofa is changing' is awkward (it should be 'the color of the sofa is fading or changing'), and 'getting itchy in all body' is not a natural English expression; 'experiencing skin irritation across their entire bodies' would be much more professional. Avoid including translations like '(reclamação)' in your final response, as this is not appropriate for a formal letter.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

There are several grammatical errors that affect the professional tone of the letter. You frequently omit articles (e.g., 'color of sofa' should be 'the color of the sofa') and struggle with subject-verb agreement and sentence structure (e.g., 'if possible your shop collect' should be 'if possible, for your shop to collect'). To improve, focus on the correct use of definite and indefinite articles and practice complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences (e.g., 'If you are unable to replace the item, I would request a full refund').

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