General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal Letter Complaining to Transport Manager about Service

There have been some problems with the public transport you use to commute daily.

Write a letter to the manager of the public transport company. In your letter:

describe the problems
explain how these problems are affecting you and others
suggest what could be done about it

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 serious concern regarding the deteriorating reliability of the 402 bus route, which I rely on for my daily commute to the city centre.

Over the past three weeks, the service has become increasingly erratic. Buses frequently fail to arrive at their scheduled times, and on several occasions, morning services have been cancelled without any prior notification. Furthermore, when buses do arrive, they are often dangerously overcrowded, leading to significant delays at every stop.

This inconsistency is causing considerable distress. I have already received a formal warning from my employer due to my repeated tardiness. Many other commuters, including students and elderly passengers, are also suffering; I have witnessed people waiting in the pouring rain for over forty minutes, which is entirely unacceptable given the current ticket prices.

I suggest that your company implements a real-time GPS tracking system on your website so passengers can monitor delays accurately. Additionally, I strongly urge you to deploy extra vehicles during peak hours to alleviate the overcrowding issues.

I look forward to your prompt response regarding how you intend to rectify these service failures.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response fully addresses all three bullet points with a clear, professional tone and sophisticated vocabulary choices. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide specific suggestions for improvement or using overly emotional language that undermines 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

erratic: unpredictable, inconsistent, or lacking a regular pattern
tardiness: the habit of being late for something
alleviate: to make a problem or suffering less severe
rectify: to put something right or correct a mistake
deteriorating: becoming progressively worse in quality or condition
inconsistency: the fact of not staying the same throughout

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.