General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal complaint letter regarding poor hotel service

You stayed at a hotel recently and were unhappy with the service.

Write a letter to the hotel management. In your letter:

provide the dates of your stay and your room number
explain the specific issues you experienced
suggest how they could improve their service

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I received during my recent stay at your hotel. I checked into room 402 on 12th October and remained there until my departure on 15th October.

My stay was marred by several significant issues. Upon arrival, I found that the room had not been properly cleaned, with discarded items left under the bed. Furthermore, despite requesting a quiet room, the noise from the ventilation system was constant and sleep-depriving. When I reported these concerns to the reception staff, my complaints were met with indifference rather than a prompt solution.

To improve your service, I suggest implementing a more rigorous housekeeping checklist to ensure rooms meet hygiene standards before guest arrival. Additionally, providing staff with comprehensive training in conflict resolution would greatly enhance the guest experience. It is disheartening to leave a hotel feeling that my concerns were undervalued, and I hope you will take these suggestions seriously to prevent future guests from experiencing similar frustrations.

I look forward to your response regarding how you intend to address these shortcomings.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response fully addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional tone. The most common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to offer constructive suggestions for improvement, instead merely listing grievances without proposing a resolution.

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

marred: spoiled the quality or appearance of something
indifference: lack of interest, concern, or sympathy
rigorous: extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate
shortcomings: faults or failures to meet a standard
depriving: preventing someone from having or doing something
undervalued: rated or considered less important than necessary

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

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.

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.