Formal Letter · Requesting Cash Payment Option at Local Shop
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 224 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
A supermarket near your home has announced that, from next month, it will only accept card and mobile payments. You are concerned about this decision. Write a letter to the manager of the supermarket. In your letter: - Explain how often you shop at the supermarket and why it is important to you - Describe why the new policy will cause problems for you and others - Suggest what the supermarket could do instead Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,
How to approach it
- 01Use 'Dear Sir or Madam' and 'Yours faithfully' because the recipient is unnamed
- 02Cover all three bullets with roughly equal space and clear paragraphing
- 03Be specific — name the store branch, dates, and how often you shop
- 04Mention concrete groups affected (the elderly, teenagers) to add weight to your concern
- 05Keep the tone formal but constructive, not hostile
- 06Close with a polite request for action and a forward-looking sentence
Model answer
224 words in 7 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my concern about your recent announcement that from 1 June your branch on Maple Road will no longer accept cash payments, and to request that you reconsider this policy.
I have shopped at your store at least three times a week for the last six years. Because the supermarket is within walking distance of my home, it is by far the most convenient place for me to buy fresh food and household essentials, especially since I do not drive. I have also recommended the store to many neighbours, who use it for the same reasons.
The new cashless policy would create real difficulties for me and for several other regular customers. My elderly mother, who lives with me, does not have a bank card and prefers to manage her weekly budget using cash. Several customers I have spoken with rely entirely on cash for similar reasons, and some teenagers and recent migrants in the area do not yet hold bank accounts at all.
Rather than removing cash altogether, I would suggest keeping at least one cash-staffed checkout open at peak times, or installing an in-store cash machine for customers who need it. This would protect your most loyal shoppers without delaying your wider modernisation plans.
I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully, Aisha Rahman
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 31 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
the same as the median answer for this task type
4 words at the shortest, 38 at the longest
1 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 20.4 words and vary by 10.5 words either side of that, running from 4 words to 38. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 5 of the 11 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
3 in total, spread across 2 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
yet
because, since
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 80 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 71 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 4 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
Address all three bullet points with specific detail and a clear, realistic suggestion.
Coherence & Cohesion
Use a clear paragraph per bullet with consistent formal layout and effective linking.
Lexical Resource
Use precise formal vocabulary for shopping, payment systems, and polite request.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use accurate present, past, and conditional structures across the letter.
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