Question
You missed an international flight due to a problem at the airport.
Write a letter to the airline. In your letter:
- Describe what happened that caused you to miss your flight
- Explain how missing your flight impacted you
- Clearly state what you would like the airline to do
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Your Essay
Review
THIS IS NOT YOUR REVIEW!
It's an example of what you can expect from our writing reviews
| Review Summary (Sample) | |
|---|---|
| Final Score | Band 6 |
| Task Achievement/Response | 7/9 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6/9 |
| Lexical Resource (Vocabulary) | 5/9 |
| Coherence & Cohesion | 6/9 |
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The below sample is what you can expect from each writing review. Writing Review Sample: 
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| How we review your writing essay | Our IELTS certified instructors will review your writing essay based on the following criteria:
Note: 1. If your overall score is an average of 5.25, your band score will be increased to 5.5. 2. If your overall score is an average of 5.75, your band score will be increased to 6. 3. If your overall score is an average of 5.1, your band score will go down to 5. 4. If your overall score is rounded up or down to the nearest 0.5 or whole score as shown above. |
| Band |
Task Achievement |
Grammatical Range and Accuracy |
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary) |
Coherence & Cohesion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | • fully addresses all parts of the task • presents a fully developed position in answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas |
• uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’ | • uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips | • uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention • skilfully manages paragraphing |
| 8 | • sufficiently addresses all parts of the task • presents a well-developed response to the question with relevant, extended and supported ideas |
• uses a wide range of structures • the majority of sentences are error-free • makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies |
• uses a wide range of vocabulary • fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings • skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation • produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation |
• sequences information and ideas logically • manages all aspects of cohesion well • uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately |
| 7 | • covers the requirements of the task • presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and appropriate • clearly presents and highlights key features/bullet points but could be more fully extended |
• uses a variety of complex structures • produces frequent error-free sentences • has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors |
• uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision • uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation • may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation |
• logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout • uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use presents a clear central topic within each paragraph |
| 6 | • addresses the requirements of the task • presents a purpose that is generally clear; there may be inconsistencies in tone • presents and adequately highlights key features/bullet points but details may be irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate |
• uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms • makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication |
• uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task • attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy • makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication |
• arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression • uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical • may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately uses paragraphing, but not always logically |
| 5 | • generally addresses the task; the format may be inappropriate in places • may present a purpose for the letter that is unclear at times; the tone may be variable and sometimes inappropriate • presents, but inadequately covers, key features/bullet points; there may be a tendency to focus on detail |
• uses only a limited range of structures • attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences • may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader |
• uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task • may make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader |
• presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression • makes inadequate, inaccurate or over use of cohesive devices • may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution • may not write in paragraphs, or paragraphing may be inadequate |
| 4 | • attempts to address the task but does not cover all key features/bullet points; the format may be inappropriate • fails to clearly explain the purpose of the letter; the tone may be inappropriate • may confuse key features/bullet points with detail; parts may be unclear,irrelevant, rep |
• uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses • some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and punctuation is often faulty |
• uses only basic vocabulary which may be used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task • has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors may cause strain for the reader |
• presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response • uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive • may not write in paragraphs or their use may be confusing |
| 3 | • does not adequately address any part of the task • does not express a clear position • presents few ideas, which are largely undeveloped or irrelevant |
• attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning | • uses only a very limited range of words and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling • errors may severely distort the message |
• does not organise ideas logically • may use a very limited range of cohesive devices, and those used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas |
| 2 | • barely responds to the task • does not express a position • may attempt to present one or two ideas but there is no development |
• cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrases | • uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary; essentially no control of word formation and/or spelling | • has very little control of organisational features |
| 1 | • answer is completely unrelated to the task | • cannot use sentence forms at all |
• can only use a few isolated words | • fails to communicate any message |
| 0 | • does not attend • does not attempt the task in any way • writes a totally memorised response |
• does not attend • does not attempt the task in any way • writes a totally memorised response |
• does not attend • does not attempt the task in any way • writes a totally memorised response |
• does not attend • does not attempt the task in any way • writes a totally memorised response |
Model Essay
Advanced grammar structures are highlighted in green
Topic vocabulary are highlighted in blue
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in regards to an international flight that I missed due to reasons beyond my control.
For the past two weeks, I have been traveling for business and speaking at international conferences. Unfortunately, I arrived to the Tokyo airport over three hours delayed yesterday afternoon, due to the technical difficulties experienced by one of your company's aircrafts. Consequently, I missed my connecting flight from Tokyo to Madrid, and could not attend the conference.
As a result of the delay, my company had to send another executive to speak at the conference in Madrid. This is not only a major inconvenience on our end, but it is a costly expenditure as well. Additionally, I have had to pay out of pocket for my lodgings in Madrid.
Since the delay was caused by your aircraft, I hope that you will compensate me for the cost of my lodgings in Madrid as well as my additional flight home to Toronto, Canada.
I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
Amanda Traynor
Word Count: 174
Model Essay Analysis
Scoring
In short, this is a Band 9 essay. Let's look at how it would rate in the scoring areas:
Task Achievement/Response - The essay covers the three main points in the task – it describes what happened for the writer to have missed her flight, it explains how missing the flight has impacted her, and it clearly states what she would like the airline to do.
Coherence and Cohesion – The essay was clearly organized, contained different paragraphs per each point as well as spaces after each paragraph. Each idea flowed nicely after the other and was formal in tone. Transitions were used well.
Lexical Resource: A table below will showcase the lexical resource. In general, the essay contained useful vocabulary that was specific to traveling—specifically airport travel. These vocabulary words are an example of the candidate's past studies in the English language. The transition words were varied and quite strong throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: A table below will showcase the grammatical structures. In general, the essay contained the passive voice when necessary, as well as present perfect continuous in the beginning paragraph. The candidate showcased her confidence using different types of grammatical forms.
Potential Areas for Improvement: While the structure, task achievement, and cohesion were excellent, the writer could have used different types of grammatical range. One example could include using past perfect to describe the problems associated with the aircraft.