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Refund for cancelled concert tickets

Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this formal letter, write it on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model letter.

WRITING TASK 1

FormalRequest

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

A concert you had bought tickets for has been cancelled, and you would like your money back.

Write a letter to the ticket company. In your letter

  • give details of your booking
  • explain why you want a refund
  • say how you would like to receive the money

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.

Plan your letter

Start with
Dear Sir or Madam,
End with
Yours faithfully,

A letter that begins Dear Sir or Madam ends Yours faithfully, followed by your full name.

  1. 1OpeningSay who you are, if needed, and why you are writing.
  2. 2Paragraph 1Give details of your booking
  3. 3Paragraph 2Explain why you want a refund
  4. 4Paragraph 3Say how you would like to receive the money
  5. 5ClosingSay what you would like to happen next, then sign off.

Write it on the clock

Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.

20:00

0 words of 150 minimum

Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.

Band-8 model letter

Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.

Show model letter (166 words)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to request a refund for two tickets that I bought through your website for the concert by the Riverside Orchestra at the City Arena on 14 June. My booking reference is TK-77215, and I paid 120 pounds in total on 2 April.

Last week I received an email saying that the concert has been cancelled because of problems with the venue. Unfortunately, I cannot attend the replacement concert on 20 September, since I will be working abroad, so I do not wish to keep the tickets or exchange them.

I would therefore like a full refund, including the booking fee of 8 pounds. I would prefer the money to be returned to the debit card I used for the original payment, as I do not need a voucher.

Could you please confirm that you have received my request and tell me how long the refund will take? I would be grateful for a prompt reply.

Yours faithfully,
Jamal Idrisov

Key phrases

PhraseMeaning
I am writing to enquire aboutformally ask for information on a topic
I would be most grateful if you couldvery polite way of asking for something
Could you please let me know whetherpolite indirect question
I would appreciate it if you could send mepolite request for something to be sent
Thank you for your time and consideration.polite closing line

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