General Training Task 1 · 203 words
Repeated delays: document the impact and request a remedy
Use two precise examples, explain their consequences and ask the delivery manager for specific corrective action.
Study the method: Formal letters: develop every task point and make the request clear →
Band 6 goal: Complaint resolution
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
A delivery company has repeatedly delivered important packages late. Write a letter to its manager. Describe the deliveries, explain the problems the delays caused, and state what action you expect.
The sample answer
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing about two important parcels delivered late by your Brookton service this month. Tracking references BR1842 and BR1975 were both booked for next-day delivery to my office, but arrived three and four working days late respectively.
The first parcel contained printed materials for a training session. Because it did not arrive before the event, I had to pay for a local emergency print run. The second contained replacement parts needed to restore a shared office printer, so six colleagues were unable to use that machine for several additional days. On both occasions, the tracking page continued to show ‘out for delivery’ without a revised date.
Please investigate why these consignments missed their promised dates and refund the next-day delivery charges. I would also like confirmation that future failed deliveries will receive an accurate revised date rather than remaining indefinitely marked for delivery. Copies of the booking receipts and tracking histories are available if required.
I would appreciate a written response within ten working days explaining the outcome of your investigation and any corrective action. I hope this matter can be resolved before I need to choose a different service for future business deliveries. Yours faithfully, Alex Morgan
Vocabulary in context
Each phrase appears in the answer above. Learn how it works, not just a replacement word.
- emergency print run
- An urgent, unplanned production of printed material.
The phrase explains a concrete cost caused by the first delay.
- revised date
- A new expected date replacing one that is no longer accurate.
Use revised only when an earlier date existed and has changed.
- corrective action
- A step taken to fix a problem and reduce the chance of recurrence.
Ask for the action itself rather than accepting a vague apology as prevention.
Now make it your own
Rewrite the letter for delayed medicine that remained safe but caused worry. Request a proportionate remedy without claiming medical harm.
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 an organisation or person you do not know. State the purpose clearly, cover all three task points and keep the tone polite and professional.