IELTS Letter Writing / GT Writing Task 1:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You travelled by a long-distance bus recently and your suitcase was damaged.

Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter,

• inform the bus company of when and to where you travelled
• describe your suitcase and what happened to it
• explain why the company should pay for a new suitcase

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Model Answer 1:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a regular commuter of your bus service – Maple Tree Transportation, and I travelled from Edmonton to Calgary on April 5th. Unfortunately, my new suitcase was completely damaged due to the carelessness of your bus staff and I am writing to claim compensation for that and would request you to investigate the issue so that it does not happen to any other commuter.

With regards to the incident, I took a bus from the Edmonton city station at 2:00 pm and reached the Calgary bus bay at 8:00 pm on 25th February 2020. I checked in a suitcase made by American Tourister and it contained my personal belongings. I instructed the bus staff to handle it with care. Unfortunately, when I arrived at Calgary bus bay and noticed my suitcase, its bottom part was completely torn down. I am sure this happened because someone very forcefully pulled it in and out of the luggage box. On top of that, the left wheel of my suitcase was also broken into pieces. This happened because your bus staff bungled my luggage.

Mishandling of passengers luggage is not acceptable. My brand new suitcase got vitiated due to inadequate management and disregard of your bus staff. Therefore, I request a quick action in this regard and ask for full payment for the damage caused to the suitcase. I am attaching the receipt of the suitcase which I purchased last month. Also, talk to the bus staff so that they do not repeat that incident.

Awaiting your reply and expecting immediate actions from you.

Yours faithfully,

Andy Odesa

Model Answer 2:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am Ethan Deen a regular commuter of your bus. Recently I took your bus to reach Boston and to my surprise, your staff’s mishandling of my luggage caused severe damage to it. I am writing to claim compensation for the property damage while travelling on a bus from your company.

I travelled from Washington, D.C. to Boston on bus #301 on April 21, 2020. The bus left the Greyhound Station at 9:30 am. Before the trip, I handed over my luggage to the conductor, who helped me to place my suitcase in the luggage compartment, which was almost empty at that time. After I arrived at the Boston Bus Station, the person in charge opened the compartment and I noticed that my brand new Gucci suitcase was smashed under the pressure of the weight of several other luggage.

My suitcase was firm and very beautiful with its modern design. However, it obviously hasn’t been designed to resist such a weight on it. I am very depressed because I can no longer use this suitcase. Its handle bent and two wheels got detached.

Since the damage was caused by the careless actions of your employee, I would like to claim my compensation of $250, which was the original price of my suitcase. Please, deliver a cheque to the address, written above.

Faithfully yours,

Ethan Deen