General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · request

Letter to a Hotel Manager regarding lost property

You have just spent a weekend staying at the Lilo Hotel in Adelaide. When you get home you find that you have left a bag at the hotel.

Write a letter to the hotel manager telling him. In your letter:

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear ...,

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to enquire about a personal item I inadvertently left behind in my room at the Lilo Hotel following my stay this past weekend, from the 12th to the 14th of May. I occupied room 402 and departed quite early on Sunday morning.

The item in question is a small, navy blue leather satchel. It is distinctive due to a silver metal clasp on the front flap. I am particularly concerned about its contents, as it contains my prescription spectacles in a protective hard case, a leather-bound notebook with my personal meeting notes, and a portable power bank.

Could you please arrange for a member of your housekeeping team to check if this bag was recovered during the room cleaning process? If found, I would be most grateful if you could arrange for it to be sent to my home address via a tracked courier service. I am happy to cover any shipping expenses incurred and can provide my credit card details over the phone if required.

Thank you for your time and assistance in resolving this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Julian Thorne

187 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, logical details while maintaining a consistently formal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide enough detail about the items inside the bag, which makes the request for return seem vague and less professional.

Useful phrases from the letter

inadvertently
happening by accident or without intending to
enquire
to ask for information about something
distinctive
having a special quality that makes something recognizable
recovered
to find or get back something lost
incurred
to become subject to as a result of action
satchel
a bag with a strap, carried over the shoulder

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

How long should an IELTS General Training letter be?

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

What does the examiner look for?

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, logical details while maintaining a consistently formal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide enough detail about the items inside the bag, which makes the request for return seem vague and less professional.

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