General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal complaint letter to head office regarding faulty laptop

You recently bought a laptop computer. A few days later the laptop stopped working. When you took it back to the shop, they refused to deal with the problem.

Write a letter to the customer service department at the company's head office including the following information. In your letter:

the problem with the laptop?
what exactly happened when you returned to the shop?
what you would like the customer service department to do?
and any other relevant information?

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Customer Service Manager,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction regarding a laptop I purchased from your branch at Westfield Mall on 12 October. Unfortunately, the device has failed to function correctly within just one week of ownership.

Specifically, the screen flickers incessantly before the entire system crashes and displays a blue error screen. Despite following the troubleshooting steps provided in the manual, the issue persists, rendering the laptop completely unusable for my professional tasks.

When I returned the item to the local store yesterday, the manager refused to offer a refund or an exchange. He insisted that such technical faults were not covered by the store’s policy and suggested I contact the manufacturer directly, which I find entirely unacceptable given the short period of ownership.

I request that your office intervenes to facilitate an immediate full refund or a replacement unit. I have attached a copy of my receipt and the store’s refusal slip for your reference.

I trust you will resolve this matter promptly to restore my confidence in your brand. I look forward to hearing from you within five working days.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with specific details and maintaining a consistently professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to mention the specific store incident or using overly emotive language that compromises the formal tone.

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

incessantly: continuously without any pause or interruption
rendering: causing someone or something to become something
intervenes: becoming involved to help settle a dispute
facilitate: making an action or process easier
dissatisfaction: lack of satisfaction or unhappiness with something
persist: continuing to exist despite an effort to stop

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.