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What do you make of this letter?

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:17 pm
by terry3218
You borrowed some books from your school or college library. Unfortunately you have to go away to visit a sick relative and cannot return the books in time.
Write a letter to the library. Explain what has happened and tell them what you want to do about it.
You should write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write your own address.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear............

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing regarding the books that I borrowed from your library last week. Unfortunately, I will not be able to return the books in due time. Please let me take a moment to elaborate.

Yesterday, my aunt broke a tragic news to me about the illness of my cousin. It turns out that my cousin, Ali, caught a flu while traveling back from New Jersey, and is apparently in critical condition. Since, he does not have a sibling or any immediate family member alongside him in this country, I am going to pay him a visit to enquire about his health, and therefore, I will not be able to return the books on time.

My intention in writing this letter is to request that you waiver the fine that will be levied on me for not returning the borrowed books on time. I will be grateful to you if you consider my request.

Expecting your supportive response,
Sam

Re: What do you make of this letter?

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:06 pm
by Mahdi99
Hey Terry.
I happen to be an Academic module student, so I can't provide any constructive criticism on this because I honestly don't know how General task 1 is scored. But I think you did a great job.
Good linking devices, good grammar and good vocabulary.
The only thing (it's a very small mistake, barely noticeable) is that I feel like "Ali caught a flu" could perhaps be "Ali caught THE flu". Once again, I'm not a native speaker, and I don't know if British people say "a flu", but I do know that the Americans and Canadians say "the flu".
Just sounded a little odd to my ears, but once again, if you're sitting for General, you'll probably get an 8 or 9 in this essay. Because you have native-speaker level english :)
Hope that helped,
Mahdi.

Re: What do you make of this letter?

Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 4:48 pm
by terry3218
Mahdi99 wrote:Hey Terry.
I happen to be an Academic module student, so I can't provide any constructive criticism on this because I honestly don't know how General task 1 is scored. But I think you did a great job.
Good linking devices, good grammar and good vocabulary.
The only thing (it's a very small mistake, barely noticeable) is that I feel like "Ali caught a flu" could perhaps be "Ali caught THE flu". Once again, I'm not a native speaker, and I don't know if British people say "a flu", but I do know that the Americans and Canadians say "the flu".
Just sounded a little odd to my ears, but once again, if you're sitting for General, you'll probably get an 8 or 9 in this essay. Because you have native-speaker level english :)
Hope that helped,
Mahdi.
Thanks a lot. That lifted my spirits on a gloomy day :D . And general ielts is also marked on the same four criteria that Academic is. :) have a nice day

Re: What do you make of this letter?

Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 10:33 am
by jesus
Absolutely perfect letter!
I enjoyed reading this.
Brother move on!

Any girls would say yes to this letter. :D
Oh, sorry. Its not a love letter. :D

In fact, i am sure examiner will love reading this one.

Re: What do you make of this letter?

Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 11:14 pm
by Flick
terry3218 wrote:You borrowed some books from your school or college library. Unfortunately you have to go away to visit a sick relative and cannot return the books in time.
Write a letter to the library. Explain what has happened and tell them what you want to do about it.
You should write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write your own address.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear............

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing regarding the books that I borrowed from your library last week. Unfortunately, I will not be able to return the books in due time. Please let me take a moment to elaborate.

Yesterday, my aunt broke the news to me that my cousin is quite ill. It turns out that my cousin, Ali, caught the flu while traveling back from New Jersey, and is apparently in critical condition. Since he does not have a sibling or any immediate family with him in this country, I am going to pay him a visit to enquire about his health, and therefore, I will not be able to return the books on time.

My intention in writing this letter is to request that you waiver the fine that will be levied on me for not returning the borrowed books on time. I will be grateful to you if you consider my request.

Expecting your supportive response,
Sam

Re: What do you make of this letter?

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:06 pm
by terry3218
Thanks everyone, especially Flick and Jesus