By English Test Coach · Updated
All sample answersGeneral Training Task 1 · 223 words
A late equipment return: apologise and put it right
Take responsibility, explain the mistake briefly and offer a return arrangement and prevention step that the coordinator can assess.
Study the method: Semi-formal letters: make clear requests and workable proposals →
Worked example: Connect responsibility with a practical repair and prevention →
Band 6 goal: Respectful apologies
Complete every task part clearly and organise the response so the reader can follow it. This is a study route, not an examiner score assigned to the answer. How IELTS Writing is assessed.
The question
You borrowed a portable speaker from a local club and did not return it on the agreed day. You know the club coordinator through regular volunteering. Write a letter to the coordinator. Apologise and explain the delay, describe how you will return the equipment, and say how you will avoid a similar problem.
The sample answer
Dear Ms Chen, I am writing to apologise for not returning the club’s portable speaker yesterday, as we agreed. I realise that you were expecting to have it available for the evening rehearsal and had to arrange another speaker at short notice. I am sorry for creating that extra work.
When I entered the return date in my calendar, I mistakenly recorded Tuesday rather than Monday. I did not check it against our message before the weekend and only noticed the error this morning. The speaker has been safely stored at home, but I should have confirmed the arrangement instead of relying on the incorrect reminder.
I can bring the speaker, charging lead and carrying case to the club today at 5.30 p.m. I understand that you are usually there preparing for the Tuesday group, but please let me know whether that time is convenient. If you need it earlier, I can arrange to deliver it during my lunch break to a place you specify. I will not leave the equipment unattended outside the building.
In future, I will check the return date with you when collecting any equipment and enter a reminder for the previous evening as well as the return day. Thank you for lending me the speaker, and please accept my apologies again for the inconvenience. Kind regards, Alex Morgan
Vocabulary in context
Each phrase appears in the answer above. Learn how it works, not just a replacement word.
- at short notice
- With little time available to prepare or make arrangements.
The phrase describes the extra burden on the coordinator, not the writer’s reason for forgetting.
- confirmed the arrangement
- Checked that the details of a planned action were correct.
Use confirmation to address the actual calendar mistake rather than making a vague promise to be better.
- whether that time is convenient
- Whether a proposed time is suitable for the other person.
The indirect question is courteous and leaves the recipient room to accept or suggest another arrangement.
Now make it your own
Keep the same apology but change the situation: the coordinator cannot receive the speaker at 5.30 p.m. Offer a practical alternative that requires agreement, and keep your prevention step connected to the original calendar error.
For a smaller practice step, use the explanation, knowledge check and self-review exercise in Write a letter with purpose and tone.
The practice link opens the original question, not a copy of this answer.
Open the writing workspaceMore examples of this question type
Write to someone you know in an official context, such as a manager or neighbour. Stay polite and direct without sounding either distant or overly casual.