IELTS Letters – Band 8

This letter topic appeared in the most recent IELTS exam in Iran. Below is a sample response that is likely to score Band 8 or above in IELTS.

You have purchased a product on a website and received a different product. Write a letter to the company. In your letter

– Describe the product you ordered
– Explain why you aren’t satisfied with the product you received
– Let them know what actions you expect them to take

Answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in regard to the laptop case I ordered on your website three weeks ago, order #237891. I have just received a parcel from your company and unfortunately, you sent me the wrong product.

I ordered a black leather laptop bag suitable for 15 inch devices. It has a magnetic closure and 2 large compartments, as well as a zipped compartment on the back for papers. It also has a front pocket for pens and memory sticks.

The bag I received from your company has none of the features I require. It is much smaller than the size I ordered, suits only 13 inch devices, is made of fabric instead of leather and has no shoulder strap. This bag is of no use to me as my laptop cannot fit in it, and its fabric isn’t waterproof which means insufficient protection from the elements. I travel a lot for work and water damage to my laptop is a risk I am not prepared to accept.

To resolve this issue I would like to receive a free return authorisation from your company for the bag you sent me in error, and I would also like to request that you send the correct bag I ordered as soon as possible, as I need it for work. If the bag I originally ordered is unavailable, I would like to receive a full refund to my credit card. I expect to receive a confirmation letter from you within 2 business days.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Geoff Johnson.

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8

Your Manager has asked you to do a presentation at the upcoming training session. Write a letter to your manager and say

– What is the topic of presentation?
– What is the benefit of conducting a session on that topic?
– What are your requirements for conducting this presentation?

Answer

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am writing to inform you about the details of the presentation that you asked me to prepare for our staff at the upcoming training.

I decided to make ‘Negotiation Skills and Techniques’ the main topic of this presentation because I believe that it is one of the foundation skills for any sales representative. My presentation will include many case scenarios and examples since I would like to provide our attendees with practical experience during the session. In addition, I intend to conduct a quiz at the end of the session to evaluate the knowledge our colleagues gained from the talk and their understanding of the material I delivered.

The reason why I feel our staff would benefit from this particular training is that our company, WorldMed, is one of the largest pharmaceutical corporations in the world, and has always put emphasis on improving skills of its employees. Advanced negotiation skills will help our sales representatives secure new business for the company. Consequently, the sales volumes of our products are likely to increase due to the higher number of contracts with our company’s key customers.

For the presentation to be effective, I would need to spend one hour delivering the training and another 15 to 20 minutes conducting the quiz. A sizable meeting room with a projector and a large screen will be required, as well as stickers of 3 different colours. These will be used to divide the audience into three teams to increase their interaction during the presentation.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Scott Wood

This letter covers the entire task statement (one paragraph per bullet point). The information is presented in an organised manner and there is a clear and logical flow of ideas. As this is a business letter, the use of formal vocabulary is appropriate. The writer demonstrated good control of grammar and varied use of sentence structures. Overall this letter seems to be worthy of IELTS Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS letters of band 8