IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to insurance company regarding lost holiday item

The task

On a recent holiday, you lost a valuable item. Fortunately, you have travel insurance to cover the cost of anything lost.

Write a letter to the manager of your insurance company. In your letter:

→describe the item you lost
→and explain how you lost it
→tell the insurance company what you would like them to do

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear Sir or Madam,

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8187 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to formally lodge a claim regarding a valuable item I lost during my recent holiday in Italy. My policy number is AX-99284, and the incident occurred on 14 August.

The item is a vintage Omega Constellation wristwatch, featuring a stainless steel strap and a distinctive midnight-blue dial. It has significant sentimental value, as it was an heirloom, and it is in excellent working condition.

I believe the watch went missing while I was travelling on a train from Rome to Florence. I remember taking it off to apply sunscreen shortly before arriving at the station. In the rush to disembark with my luggage, I inadvertently left it on the seat. Despite contacting the railway operator’s lost property department immediately, they were unable to locate it.

I would appreciate it if you could process this claim at your earliest convenience. Please let me know which documents are required to initiate the reimbursement process, such as the police report or the original valuation certificate I have attached. I look forward to your prompt response regarding the next steps.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Write a letter, get a band free →

Examiner's view

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response fully addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional and coherent tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide enough detail about the lost item or the specific circumstances of the loss, resulting in a thin, underdeveloped response.

→Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
→If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
→No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

lodge a claim
To formally submit a request for insurance money
heirloom
A valuable object passed down through family generations
disembark
To leave a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle
inadvertently
Without intention; accidentally or by mistake
reimbursement
The action of repaying someone for lost expenses
at your earliest convenience
As soon as it is easy for you

Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?+

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

How many words should an IELTS General Training letter be?+

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

What does the examiner look for?+

Keep practising

More request letters

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