General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal Letter of Complaint Regarding Hotel Stay Experience

You recently stayed at a hotel and were unhappy with the service.

Write a letter to the hotel manager. In your letter:

describe your experience
explain what went wrong
suggest what compensation you expect

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my profound disappointment regarding my recent three-night stay at the Grand Regency Hotel, which concluded on 14 October.

My experience was marred by significant lapses in service quality. Upon arrival, I found that my room had not been cleaned, with discarded items left in the bathroom. Furthermore, the air conditioning unit remained completely non-functional despite my repeated requests to the front desk staff to have it repaired. This made the room uncomfortably warm, preventing me from getting any meaningful rest during my visit.

These issues were compounded by the lack of professionalism shown by your concierge team. When I reported the maintenance failure, I was met with indifference rather than an apology or a swift resolution. As this was intended to be a relaxing break, the substandard conditions and poor communication were entirely unacceptable.

Given that the service failed to meet even basic hospitality standards, I believe a partial refund of my accommodation costs is appropriate. I trust you will look into this matter urgently and I look forward to hearing your proposal regarding compensation.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

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

Why this scores well

This response earns a Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently formal tone. The most common Band 6 mistake is failing to suggest specific compensation 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 disappointment: a deep and strong feeling of being let down
lapses: a temporary failure of concentration or proper standards
compounded: made a problem or difficult situation worse
indifference: a lack of interest, concern, or sympathy
substandard: below the usual or required professional level
accommodation: a room or building where someone may live

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.