General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal complaint to mobile company regarding faulty device

You have bought a new mobile phone and in a few days of purchase, it has stopped working. You spoke to the company representative a week ago but it has still not been repaired.

Write a letter to the company. In your letter:

introduce yourself
explain the situation
say what action you would like the company to take

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 formally express my dissatisfaction regarding a smartphone I purchased from your online store on 15th October. My name is James Sterling, and I am the owner of the model X-200, order number #987654.

Only four days after purchase, the device suffered a catastrophic screen failure and subsequently ceased to function entirely. Despite the phone being well within its warranty period, it has proven to be completely unusable for my daily professional requirements. I contacted your support representative, Sarah, via telephone one week ago to report this defect. During that conversation, I was assured that a technician would collect the device for urgent repairs within forty-eight hours.

Regrettably, seven days have passed and I have received no further communication, nor has any courier arrived to collect the faulty unit. This delay is unacceptable given the premium price paid for the handset. I request that you arrange an immediate collection of the phone by the end of this week. Furthermore, I would appreciate a formal confirmation that a replacement device will be provided, as I have lost confidence in the repairability of this specific unit.

Yours faithfully,

James Sterling

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to mention the specific previous contact details or providing vague, generic complaints that lack a clear, actionable resolution request.

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

catastrophic: causing sudden and great damage or failure
ceased: brought to an end or stopped completely
warranty: a written guarantee of a product's quality
regrettably: in a way that causes sadness or disappointment
unacceptable: not satisfactory or allowable in a situation
handset: a mobile phone or similar handheld device

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.