General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal complaint letter to travel agency regarding poor accommodation

You have just returned from a holiday. You are unhappy with the quality of the hotel you stayed in and want to complain to the travel agency that arranged the holiday.

Write a letter to the manager of the travel agency. In your letter:

say about the holiday and where you stayed
mention why you are unhappy about the hotel where you stayed
say what you would like the travel agency to do

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 profound dissatisfaction with the accommodation provided for my recent trip to the Amalfi Coast, which was booked through your agency from 10th to 17th September. I stayed at the Hotel Bella Vista, which was marketed as a four-star luxury establishment.

Regrettably, the quality of the hotel fell far short of the advertised standards. Upon arrival, I discovered that the room had not been cleaned, with stained linens and a persistent damp odour. Furthermore, the air conditioning system was non-functional throughout the week, making sleep nearly impossible in the Mediterranean heat. I also found the staff to be largely unhelpful when I raised these concerns during my stay.

Given that this holiday was intended to be a relaxing break, the poor state of the hotel significantly impacted my experience. Consequently, I am requesting a partial refund of the booking fee to compensate for the substandard conditions I endured.

I look forward to receiving your prompt response regarding this matter and expect a resolution within ten working days.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response fully covers all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional tone. A common mistake at Band 6 is failing to provide a clear, actionable request for the agency, or using overly aggressive language that compromises the formal register.

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

profound: very great or intense in feeling
marketed: advertised or promoted for sale
regrettably: unfortunately and with a sense of sadness
substandard: below the required or expected quality
persistently: continuing firmly in a course of action
compensate: to provide something to make up for loss

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.