General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · request

Letter to taxi manager regarding lost important documents

You recently used a taxi and left some important documents there.

Write a letter to the taxi manager and say. In your letter:

describe what you left and where it happened
why are these papers important?
what would you like the manager to do about it?

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 report a lost item from one of your taxis. Yesterday evening, at approximately 7:15 pm, I took a ride from Central Station to my home on Oakwood Avenue. Upon exiting the vehicle, I inadvertently left a slim, tan leather briefcase on the rear seat.

This briefcase contains several original property deeds and my passport, which are critical for an urgent visa appointment scheduled for early next week. Replacing these documents would be an extremely complex and time-consuming process, so I am very anxious to retrieve them as quickly as possible.

Could you please check your driver logs for that time slot and contact the driver to see if the briefcase was discovered? If it has been found, I would appreciate it if you could secure it at your main office so that I may collect it at your earliest convenience. I am happy to provide further details or proof of ownership to assist your search.

Thank you for your prompt assistance with this urgent matter.

Yours faithfully,

Arthur Pendelton

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with professional, cohesive language and a consistent formal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide specific details, such as the time of the journey or the exact nature of the documents, which prevents the reader from effectively locating the item.

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: happening by accident or without intending to
property deeds: legal documents showing who owns a building
retrieve: to find something and bring it back
time slot: a specific period of time during a schedule
at your earliest convenience: as soon as it is possible for you
proof of ownership: evidence that shows an object belongs to you

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.