Letter Sample #48 – On a recent holiday you lost a valuable item

GT Writing Task 1 (Letter Writing) Sample # 48

You should spend about 20 minutes on this 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
• 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 your own address.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Model Answer 1:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to claim the insurance coverage for a lost item. I had been to Greece on a week-long trip and regrettably lost my camera. Since my travel insurance covers the loss of this item, I would really appreciate your cooperation on claiming my insurance.

I travelled to Greece on August 20th and returned home a week later. I took my camera, Canon EOS 80D DSLR model, with me that I purchased from The Future Gadget store only a month ago. It had been with me till 24th August but the next day I took it to Plaka, an old historical neighbourhood of Athens, and at a time, I realised I no longer had it with me. I am not sure whether it was stolen or I just forgot it someplace in Plaka. I visited the local police station and explained what had happened. They told us that they would not be able to do anything because I cannot be sure if this was stolen or lost. I went back to the places I had been to in Plaka and searched for it but without any luck.

Since my camera is insured, I would like to claim my insurance money. I request you to compensate me for the full amount of the camera. I am attaching a copy of the receipt with this letter.

Yours faithfully,

Emma Walter

Model Answer 2:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to inform you that I have recently lost my digital camera while on holiday in Bali, Indonesia. I am writing to claim the insurance coverage for the lost item.

In relation to specifics of the lost item, it is a brand new black Nikon D500 digital camera that has a resolution of 22 megapixel, 3.4 inches LCD touchscreen monitor, a 70-millimetre lens, and was in a black leather case. I purchased it two months ago and it cost me $1875.

I am sure I lost the camera when I was having dinner outdoor with my wife at a seabeach near Nusa Dua Beach in Bali. The name of the restaurant was “Arwana Restaurant” and once I noticed that the camera was missing, I immediately notified the restaurant manager and later on to the local police station. Unfortunately, no one could find the camera.

I believe I am entitled to make a claim for the value of the lost item and request that you send me details on what I need to do to proceed.

I really appreciate your cooperation in advance.

Yours faithfully,

Joseph Hallstein