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Writing: explain a problem and request a solution
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Make the next action possible
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In these tasks, your problem email should help someone identify the case, investigate the evidence, understand the effect and respond to a request. Describe what you know without pretending to know the cause.
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Compare a reported observation, “The screen went black twice.”, with a guess, “You deliberately sold me a broken machine.” If past events and an ongoing problem are hard to describe, revisit present perfect and past simple. Allow 60–90 minutes across sessions, including drafting and later practice; this is a provisional allowance, not measured learner timing.
Make the reader's next action possible. These written decisions support writing; they do not replace producing your own emails or prove a CEFR level.
An email with evidence
Hello, I bought desk lamp L24 from your shop on 6 May. Since yesterday, it has switched off after about ten minutes on three occasions. I have checked the plug and tried another socket. I need it for evening study. Could you advise me on arranging a repair or replacement? I can provide the receipt. Kind regards, Alex Chen.
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The product and date identify the purchase. Three observed failures describe the problem. The checks already reported and the offer of a receipt give the shop something to investigate. They do not establish a cause or a defect in every L24 lamp.
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The study need explains the effect. The last question asks about a possible next step; it does not say the shop has approved a repair or replacement. Do not copy checks or evidence into your own email unless the task says they occurred.
Hello, I bought desk lamp L24 from your shop on 6 May. Since yesterday, it has switched off after about ten minutes on three occasions. I have checked the plug and tried another socket. I need it for evening study. Could you advise me on arranging a repair or replacement? I can provide the receipt. Kind regards, Alex Chen.
Which statement matches the evidence in the lamp example?
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Three observed failures support the first claim. They do not establish a cause (a faulty bulb) or failures on consecutive days.
A fictional print record says: Printer P8: ten pages sent in one job; pages 4 and 7 came out blank; the other eight printed. Earlier jobs were not checked. Which statement keeps the scope of this evidence?
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The third statement describes the two observed blank pages in one job. Eight pages printed, so never printed correctly contradicts the record. One printer/job cannot establish a defect in every P8 printer.
Repair a complaint that cannot be investigated
- Worked contrast: observation → overstatement. “It switched off after about ten minutes on three occasions.” reports the supplied observations. “It always fails. Every L24 lamp is faulty.” widens them into claims the record does not establish.
An effect can be clear while its cause is unknown. Two course videos failing while other sites play normally is useful comparison evidence; it does not prove that the provider deliberately blocked an account.
- Repair the scope before adding stronger words. Keep the item, frequency and conditions you actually know. A precise complaint can still be firm; a long accusation gives the recipient less useful evidence.
Two course videos stop after one minute while videos on other sites play normally. True or false: these observations prove that the course provider deliberately blocked your account.
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False. The comparison helps describe the failure, but it does not establish an account block, a technical cause or someone’s intention. Ask support to investigate instead of presenting a guess as fact.
Organise before drafting
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One useful plan is paragraph 1: identify the case and evidence → paragraph 2: effect and request. A short subject line can name the reference and problem. This is support, not the only valid email order.
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Separate a past event, such as I bought it on 6 May, from a problem continuing since yesterday. Use on three occasions when that is the observed count. Keep an identifier beside the right record, rather than mixing a booking code with a room number.
Put the parts of the message in the order this lesson uses.
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This is the frame from the lesson: each part gives the reader something they need to act.
Match each sentence to its main job in this problem email.
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The booking reference identifies the case. The time and stopping point give evidence; the preparation difficulty explains its importance. The final question asks for a response without claiming that a solution has already been agreed.
For this supported outline, order the five supplied parts as: identify the booking → observed problem → check already made → effect → request and closing. Other clear email structures can also work.
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This outline follows the stated support frame. It gives the reader the reference, the conflicting evidence, the check, the effect and a useful request. It does not decide which day is correct without a reply.
Try a fresh problem
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Fictional situation: You joined an online photography course last Monday. Two lesson videos stop after about one minute. Other websites' videos play normally. You need the lessons before Saturday's class. Write in English to course support with an invented username and no password.
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Draft before opening the model. Give observations, the deadline and a useful request. You may offer to provide further details; do not claim you already sent an attachment that the task never mentioned. Choose relevant facts rather than a list of unrelated interests.
In this practice situation, two photography-course videos stop after one minute. You are writing to course support about playback. Which detail should go in the email?
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The failure point helps troubleshooting. A support message should not disclose a password, and the hobbies do not help resolve playback.
Fictional situation: You joined an online photography course last Monday. Two lesson videos stop after about one minute. Videos on other websites play normally. You need the lessons before Saturday’s class. Write to course support, giving an invented username and no password.
Write in English before opening the model. Report the observations without claiming to know the technical cause. You may offer to provide more details; do not pretend you have already sent an attachment.
Compare meaning, completeness and tone. Several answers can meet these criteria; this is a self-review, not an automatic score.
You are writing about delivery D82: twelve notebooks were ordered, nine arrived and three are missing. Which subject line helps the supplier identify this problem without adding a cause?
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The first subject gives a searchable reference and the specific shortfall. The other subjects invent intention or make a claim about all products. A subject line helps identify the case; it need not contain the entire email.
Select the TWO statements supported by this record: Posted bus arrival: 9 am. I waited from 8.55 am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The bus arrived at 9.12 am, 9.09 am and 9.15 am respectively. No other mornings were checked.
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The two supported statements keep the three-morning scope. The record supports the observed arrival times but cannot establish an entire year’s pattern or the driver’s intention. Include the actual dates/times when requesting an investigation.
Revise for evidence and clarity
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Underline your factual claims and connect each to the supplied observations. Replace nothing works with the affected videos and stopping point. Choose a useful check; revise a wrong/missing detail or keep an already clear one. More words or a revised draft are not automatically better.
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Draft saving is optional. Without it, text stays on the open page. If you choose browser storage, drafts stay in this browser profile on this device, where others using the profile may read them. Use the comparison/history/clear controls. The model and checklist support self-review; they do not automatically assess your writing.
Match the request to the actual problem
- Fictional visits: A study room advertises Monday–Friday, 9 am–6 pm. Your group found it locked on Tuesday at 4 pm and Thursday at 5 pm this week, so its planned study sessions could not take place. Ask the centre for reliable access and a contact if it happens again. Do not invent the caretaker's intention.
Worked contrast: request → agreed remedy. “Could you advise me on arranging a repair?” asks about a next step. “You have agreed to replace it tomorrow.” needs an actual agreement and date. A request alone does not provide those facts.
- Choose a solution that fits the setting. A room-access problem needs access information, not a replacement lamp. A service that has fixed one part needs an accurate update about what remains wrong.
Use these fictional notes: Advertised study-room hours: Monday–Friday, 9 am–6 pm. This week our group found the room locked on Tuesday at 4 pm and Thursday at 5 pm. We could not hold our planned study sessions. Which request fits this locked-room problem?
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The third request addresses reliable access. Replacing a lamp belongs to another problem. “deliberately” attributes an intention that the two locked-door visits do not establish.
Fictional situation: Advertised study-room hours: Monday–Friday, 9 am–6 pm. This week our group found the room locked on Tuesday at 4 pm and Thursday at 5 pm. We could not hold our planned study sessions.
Write to the community centre in English. Give the two visits, explain the effect on the group and ask how to arrange reliable access and whom to contact if it is locked again. The caretaker’s intention is unknown.
Compare meaning, completeness and tone. Several answers can meet these criteria; this is a self-review, not an automatic score.
After support replies, you make two new playback checks. Video 2 now plays to the end on both checks. Video 4 still stops after one minute. Which update gives support accurate progress and a useful request?
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The second update acknowledges the part that now works and identifies the remaining failure. Nothing has changed contradicts the new checks. Successful repair of one video does not identify the cause of the original failures.
Reflect honestly, then retrieve later
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Name a real revision and explain its effect on your reader. If no change was needed, describe a detail you checked and kept. If there is no draft, name your next check. A short English reflection is enough.
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Later, try a new problem from fresh notes without opening an earlier model. A reflection or successful comparison now does not establish delayed recall or independent writing quality.
Write a short English reflection. Name one real change you made and why it helps your reader investigate or respond. If no revision was needed, name a detail you checked and kept. If you have no draft, state your next check instead.
A useful reflection connects a concrete change with its purpose. It does not establish delayed recall until you return and attempt the work later.
Handle missing items and conflicting records
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For a missing-item email, distinguish ordered, received and missing quantities. A packing note and undamaged packaging are evidence; neither proves intention. Offer an available document without pretending you already attached it.
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When two booking records disagree, keep each day/room with its source. Ask which is correct before planning as if one had been confirmed. Explain why the reply is needed and when; do not turn your deadline into a promise from the recipient.
Fictional supplier notes: Order R42: twelve workbooks ordered; Monday delivery contained nine. The packing note lists twelve. Outer packaging was undamaged. A copy of the note is available, but no attachment has been sent. You need the workbooks for Thursday’s 9 am class. Explain the shortfall and ask the supplier to check whether the missing three can arrive before class or suggest an alternative. The cause is unknown.
Write the whole email in English before opening the model. Use only invented names/references; do not include real contact details or passwords.
Compare evidence, scope, organisation and requested action. Several responses can work. This is unscored self-review, not proof of correctness or improvement.
Two fictional records conflict: Confirmation email: booking B731, Room 5, Saturday, 10–11 am. Account calendar: booking B731, Room 8, Sunday, 10–11 am. Your four-person group needs to finalise a rehearsal plan before Friday at noon. Ask the centre to confirm the correct day and room before that deadline and where to check future updates. You do not know which record is correct.
Write the whole email in English before opening the model. Use only invented names/references; do not include real contact details or passwords.
Compare evidence, scope, organisation and requested action. Several responses can work. This is unscored self-review, not proof of correctness or improvement.
Correct your own error and update a partial fix
- If you copied the wrong room, acknowledge that error and keep the unchanged day/time. Ask readers to use the correction. Do not blame an organisation for a change that never happened.
Worked contrast: partial repair → stale complaint. If a printer's queue now opens but colour pages still come out blank, “Nothing has changed.” is inaccurate. “The queue now opens, but colour pages still come out blank.” identifies the remaining problem without guessing its cause.
- Answer the support team's actual question. Give the remaining error and new check times, then request a targeted next step. Update old wording instead of sending it unchanged when the evidence has changed.
Use only the booking reference from this note to complete the first sentence.
Booking B731: music room enquiry. Room 5 is listed in the email; Room 8 is listed in the calendar.
I am writing about booking _____.
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B731 identifies the booking. Room 5 and Room 8 are the conflicting locations, not the reference. Giving the correct identifier helps the recipient find the record before investigating.
You sent your group this email yesterday: Meet in Room 4 on Thursday at 3 pm. The official notice has always said Room 6, Thursday, 3 pm. You copied the room incorrectly; the centre did not change it. Repair this draft so it admits your error, gives the correct details and asks the group to use/share the correction:
The centre changed our room again and nobody told me. Meet in Room 6 on Friday at 4 pm.
Write the whole email in English before opening the model. Use only invented names/references; do not include real contact details or passwords.
Compare evidence, scope, organisation and requested action. Several responses can work. This is unscored self-review, not proof of correctness or improvement.
Fictional case T28: support asks whether both training files now open after its fix. The guide now opens. The worksheet still shows “File not found”, checked on Monday at 2.15 pm and 2.20 pm. The worksheet is needed for Tuesday’s 10 am training. Update this old draft and request a targeted next step: Neither file opens. Nothing has changed. You do not know the technical cause.
Write the whole email in English before opening the model. Use only invented names/references; do not include real contact details or passwords.
Compare evidence, scope, organisation and requested action. Several responses can work. This is unscored self-review, not proof of correctness or improvement.
Investigate from a fresh record
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Try the final missed-delivery email tomorrow or another day if possible. Keep a tracking entry, your own observation and a front-desk report distinct. No parcel at one desk does not establish where it went. Check your claims against the notes after writing.
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Next, practise explaining an experience aloud in B1 speaking, or develop an evidence-based proposal in B2 writing. Continue to use future forms when proposing next actions. These activities do not certify proficiency.
You emailed the delivery service to ask where it left a parcel and how to trace it. You have had no reply. Which update is supported?
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The third statement reports your actual request. Without a reply, there is no evidence of a refund agreement or a found parcel. A requested solution is not a confirmed outcome.
Try this later without the earlier models if possible. Fictional notes: Order D59 tracking: Delivered Monday at 14:10. I was at home from 14:00 to 15:00 and received no parcel during that period. At 9 am on Tuesday, the front desk told me it had not received the parcel at that desk. You need the materials before Wednesday at noon. Ask the delivery service to confirm the recorded delivery location and help trace the parcel or suggest another way to obtain the materials. You do not know where the parcel was left.
Write the whole email in English before opening the model. Use only invented names/references; do not include real contact details or passwords.
Compare evidence, scope, organisation and requested action. Several responses can work. This is unscored self-review, not proof of correctness or improvement.