General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal complaint letter regarding a faulty television purchase

You bought a new HD television last week. At first, it seemed to work perfectly but after a few hours a line appeared across the TV and the sound seemed a little strange. You cannot take the TV back to the shop so you have decided to write to them.

Write a letter of complaint to the shop. In your letter:

give them the background information
describe the problem
ask them to resolve the issue

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear ...,

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Manager,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with a Sony Bravia 55-inch HD television I purchased from your store last Tuesday, 14th May, under receipt number 88291.

Initially, the device performed flawlessly during the setup process. However, after approximately four hours of operation, a persistent vertical line appeared across the centre of the screen. Furthermore, the audio quality has become distorted, producing an intermittent buzzing sound that makes dialogue difficult to follow. I have attempted to reset the factory settings as suggested in the manual, yet the issues remain unresolved.

As I reside in a remote area and lack the vehicle necessary to transport such a large item, I am unable to return the unit to your premises in person. I would appreciate it if you could arrange for a technician to visit my home to inspect the television or, alternatively, coordinate a courier collection for a replacement unit.

I have attached a digital copy of my receipt for your reference and look forward to your prompt response regarding how we can rectify this situation.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Miller

181 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with specific, logical details and maintaining a consistently professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to explain why the item cannot be returned, which ignores a key constraint provided in the prompt.

Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

Useful phrases from the letter

flawlessly: in a way that is perfect and without faults
persistent: continuing to happen in a way that is annoying
distorted: changed from the original to sound or look bad
intermittent: stopping and starting again over a period of time
rectify: to put something right or correct a mistake
premises: the building and land owned by a business

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Practise IELTS General writing

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Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

How long should an IELTS General Training letter be?

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.