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IELTS Writing Samples

IELTS essay samples (writing task 2), report and letter samples (writing task 1) with Band Scores, marked by IELTS teachers, including comments and suggestions on how to increase your score

IELTS Letter, topic: Apologising to a customer who received poor service

This is a model response to a Writing Task 1 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 2 General Training book, Practice Test 7

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You are the manager of a restaurant that has received a letter of complaint about poor service from a member of your staff. Write a letter of apology to the person who has complained.

In your letter,

– say how sorry you are that the person has had a poor experience
– explain what action has been taken against the staff member
– offer a free meal for four people at the restaurant as a gesture of goodwill

You should write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr. Smith,

Sample Band 9 Letter

Dear Mr. Smith,

I have received your letter of complaint regarding poor service from a member of staff at my restaurant, The Seaside Inn.

I would like to use this opportunity to express my sincere apology for this embarrassing and rare occurrence at my restaurant. The member of staff responsible for your inconvenience has been removed from the list of waiters and is now working in the kitchen department, where contact with guests is unlikely. He has also been educated to improve his attitude. The current staff have undergone training as well to avoid similar events in the future.

As a gesture of goodwill and as means of compensation, I would like to offer you a free meal for four people at my restaurant. You may use the enclosed voucher at any time and for any meal.

I hope to welcome you again as a guest at my restaurant.

Yours sincerely,

Katherine Hitchwell
Manager of The Seaside Inn

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IELTS Report, topic: Process diagram describing the cycle of pollution (from IELTS High Scorer’s Choice series, Academic Set 1)

This is a model response to a Writing Task 1 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 1 Academic book, Practice Test 5

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The images below explain the process of how pollutants from modern life become acid rain that in turn pollutes the environment and the food chain.


Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

Process diagram describing the cycle of pollution (from IELTS High Scorer's Choice series, Academic Set 1 book)

Sample Band 9 Report

This diagram shows the cycle of pollution that contributes to the development of acid rain and how it affects the environment on which human life is dependent.

The majority of the pollutants created come from housing, transport, factories and power stations. These sources release various compounds such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, different nitrogen oxides, mercury and other compounds. These pollutants then rise up into the air and are absorbed by clouds, which then become contaminated in turn and travel across countries and continents. Then, once condensation occurs, water containing the pollutants in the clouds will condense and fall to the Earth in the form of precipitation, namely acid rain.

The acid rain will fall onto hills, fields, trees, plants and into rivers and lakes, contaminating them. This leads to the pollution of the environment and the food chain, as the pollutants are absorbed into the Earth or plants, which either act as a habitat or a food source for animals, destroying them or affecting their biological processes. This in turn will lead to the dying out of the animals, which will then lead to imbalance in the food chain, greatly impacting the ecosystem.

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