Precision is everything in an insurance claim: flight number, date, description of damage, and a clear request. Vague damage descriptions cost marks. Mention your policy number for realism.
20 min·≥ 150 words·Reported · Canada · 2025
You recently returned from a holiday and discovered that your suitcase was badly damaged during the flight. You had taken out travel insurance that covers baggage damage. Write a letter to the insurance company. In your letter: • describe what happened and when • detail the damage to your suitcase and its contents • say what action you would like the company to take You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,
How to crack it
A 4-step plan for the letter
Fix the register first.
Who is the reader — stranger, acquaintance, or friend? That decides every word from "Dear…" to the sign-off. Register is half of Task Achievement here.
One bullet = one paragraph.
Three bullets, three body paragraphs, in the same order. The examiner literally ticks them off — a missed or thin bullet caps the band.
Open with the purpose.
"I am writing to…" (formal) or "Just wanted to tell you…" (informal). The reader should know why you're writing by the end of line one.
Close in the same voice.
"Yours faithfully" after Dear Sir or Madam; "Yours sincerely" after a name; "Best wishes" to a friend. A mismatched sign-off is a register error in the last line they read.
What loses you the band
The four traps this question sets
Mixed register
"I am writing to inform you" next to "gonna" — pick one voice and hold it.
A skipped bullet
All three bullet points must be covered AND developed. Two done well is still a penalty.
Copying the prompt
Paraphrase the situation in your own words — lifted lines don't count toward 150.
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“A complaint letter to a hotel manager about a disappointing stay”
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No invented detail
Letters need specifics: names, dates, model numbers. "The product" all the way through reads as memorised.