General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal complaint letter to restaurant manager regarding poor meal

You took your family to a nearby restaurant. You were disappointed with the meal and wish to complain to the manager.

Write a letter to the manager of the restaurant. In your letter:

explain why you were at the restaurant
describe the problems
write about the action you want the manager to take

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction regarding a dinner my family and I had at your establishment, The Silver Oak, last Saturday evening. We chose your restaurant to celebrate my daughter’s graduation, expecting the high quality of service and cuisine for which your venue is traditionally known.

Unfortunately, the experience fell well below expectations. We waited nearly forty minutes for our appetizers, and when the main courses finally arrived, two of the dishes were served lukewarm. Furthermore, my husband’s steak was ordered medium-rare but arrived completely overcooked and tough. Despite bringing these issues to the attention of our server, no attempt was made to rectify the situation or offer an apology.

Given the significant cost of the meal and the special nature of our celebration, this level of service was unacceptable. I would appreciate it if you could investigate this matter with your kitchen and waitstaff. I believe a partial refund or a voucher for a future visit would be an appropriate gesture to restore our confidence in your restaurant.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how you intend to resolve this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Miller

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

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with a consistent, professional tone and sophisticated vocabulary. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a specific solution, or using overly aggressive 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

dissatisfaction: a feeling of unhappiness about a particular situation
establishment: a business or institution, in this case a restaurant
lukewarm: only slightly warm, often implying poor food quality
rectify: to put something right or correct a mistake
unacceptable: not satisfactory or not to be tolerated
gesture: an action performed to show a particular feeling

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.