General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · request

Letter to Railway Manager Regarding Lost Luggage

You have recently travelled on a train and unfortunately left your luggage.

Write a letter to the manager of the Lost and Found department of the railway regarding the luggage you accidentally left on the train. In your letter:

give details of your train trip
describe the luggage you left on the train
say what actions you want him/her to take

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Manager,

I am contacting you to report an item of luggage that I inadvertently left behind during my recent rail journey. I travelled on the 14:15 service from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads this past Tuesday, 12th March, occupying seat 12B in carriage C.

The item is a medium-sized, navy blue Samsonite hard-shell suitcase with four wheels and a distinctive yellow luggage tag attached to the handle. Inside, the bag contains professional documents, a grey woollen jumper, and a pair of leather loafers. It is quite easily identifiable as it has a small scratch near the bottom right corner of the front casing.

Could you please check your records to see if this item was handed in by the cleaning staff or a fellow passenger? If found, I would be grateful if you could confirm its location so that I can arrange for its collection or courier delivery. Please let me know if there is a specific form I need to complete to facilitate this search.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by fully addressing all three bullet points with specific, realistic details while maintaining a consistently formal register. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to provide enough descriptive detail to help the staff identify the bag, or using an overly casual tone inappropriate for a formal inquiry.

Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

Useful phrases from the letter

inadvertently: without intention or accidentally left behind
hard-shell: made of a rigid, protective outer material
distinctive: characteristic of one person or thing specifically
facilitate: to make an action or process easier
convenience: a state of being able to do something
occupying: the act of residing in or using space

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.

Practise IELTS General writing

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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.