Describe a time you sent a message or an email but got no reply for a long time

Band 6

I would like to talk about an email I sent to a music school last January and did not get a reply for a long time. I live in Valparaíso, in Chile, and I wanted to learn the guitar, so I wrote to a small school in Santiago to ask about evening lessons. My friend Camila told me the teachers there were good, so I was excited. I writeTense slip: should be “wrote” about my age, my level and the days when I could go there. After one week nobody answered, and I thought they did not want a new student. I waited for three weekPlural error: should be “three weeks”, and every morning I checked my phone, you knowFiller phrase used as a hesitation marker, but there was nothing. I was very disappointedBasic intensifier and adjective; limits Lexical Resource and a little angry. I did not want to look for another school because this one was near my house. Then I used the school’s website and wrote a short message in the contact form, and I also sent a message on their social media page. Two days later the teacher, Mr Rojas, answerTense slip: should be “answered” me. He said sorry and told me that my first email was in his spam folder, so he did not see it. I felt very relievedBasic intensifier and adjective; limits Lexical Resource, and also, erNatural hesitation marker, minor filler, a little silly because I thought bad things about the school. Now I have lessons every Tuesday after work, and I am practising a song for my mother’s birthday. It teach meTense slip: should be “It taught me” that if nobody answers, I must send a message in another way.

Band 7

I’d like to talk about an email I sent to a music school last January that went unanswered for weeks. I live in Valparaíso, in Chile, and I wanted to learn the guitar, so I wrote to a small school in Santiago to ask about evening lessons. My friend Camila had told me the teachers there were excellent, so I was really looking forward to it. I explained my age, my level and the days when I could travel there. After a week there was still nothing, and I started to think that they weren’t interested in taking on a beginnerAccurate past tense in a reported thought. I waited three weeks, checking my phone every morning, and honestly, I’d almost given upNatural discourse marker that signals frustration. I felt let downPhrasal expression instead of a basic adjective and a bit annoyed, but I didn’t want to try another school, because this one was close to my home. Eventually I tried the contact form on their website and sent a message on their social media page as well. Two days later the teacher, Mr Rojas, replied. He apologised and explained that my first email had landed in his spam folderNatural collocation, which he only noticed by chance. I was hugely relieved, though also a little embarrassingAdjective form error: should be “embarrassed” because I’d imagined the worst. I now have lessons every Tuesday, I’m even practising a song for my mother’s birthday, and I’ve learned to follow upPrecise phrasal verb for contacting someone again in a different way instead of to waitVerb form error: should be “waiting” and assuming the worst.

Band 8

I’d like to talk about an email I sent to a music school last January and then heard nothing back about for weeks. I live in Valparaíso, in Chile, and I’d decided to learn the guitar, so I wrote to a small school in Santiago to ask about evening lessons, explaining my age, my level and the days when I could travel there. A friend, Camila, had told me the teachers there were excellent, so I was looking forward to it. After a week there was still no answer, and I began to suspect that they couldn’t be bothered with a beginnerIdiomatic phrase with an accurate modal in reported thought. I waited three weeks, checking my phone every morning, and to be perfectly honest, I’d all but given upNatural discourse marker with a fixed expression. I felt quietly let downPrecise adverb and phrasal adjective, though I didn’t fancy starting again with another school, since this one was close to home. In the end I tried the contact form on their website and messaged their social media page as well. Two days later the teacher, Mr Rojas, replied. He apologised and explained that my first email had ended up in his spam folderNatural collocation, which he only discovered by chance. I was enormously relieved, if a little sheepish, because I’d jumped to conclusionsPrecise idiom for judging too quickly about the school. I now have lessons every Tuesday, I’m even rehearsing a song for my mother’s birthday, and the experience taught me to chase things up through another channel rather than sit and assume the worstContrastive structure that carries the reflection.