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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: complaining to a company about receiving the wrong product

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

IELTS essay, topic: Should copyright materials such as music, films and books be freely available on the Internet (opinion)?

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is likely to score IELTS Band 9.

Set 2 General Training book, Practice Test 10

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

There is a problem today that copyright materials such as music, films and books are freely available on the Internet with the result that the owners of the works lose money.

Do you feel that this is a good or bad thing?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Answer

In modern day society, it has become common to make copyright protected material freely available on the Internet with the result that the owners of the work lose large sums of money. The discussion of whether or not this distribution is of positive or negative nature has therefore been raised. Personally, I believe that this issue has both negative and positive effects.

Distributing copyright protected material freely online can firstly help make this material more popular. Often people are not willing to spend money on a film or song before being exposed to it once, as they cannot be sure that they will enjoy the material they are about to purchase. If they purchase a song or film and then do not like it, the money spent will have been wasted, which is disappointing. Frequently, people purchase copyright protected material that they enjoyed after being exposed to it once, meaning that often owners often receive money at a later stage. An owner’s reputation can additionally improve, because frequently owners who allow their work to be distributed partially or completely online have a more positive reputation amongst customers.

Regardless of the positive effects of the free online distribution of copyright protected material, it can be said that this distribution has several negative effects. Firstly, owners lose large sums of money through it. A lot of time and money can be spent producing the material distributed, as certain spaces and equipment must be rented or bought to produce a certain song or film. Like all other people, artists need money to survive and thus are at a disadvantage when they do not receive money for their work. I personally believe therefore that governments should make sure that when something is performed in public or when work is displayed in public, artists should receive credit and money.

In conclusion, it can be said that the online distribution of copyright protected material has both negative and positive effects. In my opinion, it cannot fully be determined whether this distribution is of a positive or negative nature; one must decide upon this for oneself.

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