General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal Letter to Manager Regarding Changing Room Issues

You visit a sports centre regularly, and there is a problem with the changing rooms in it. You have complained about it several times but with no success.

Write a letter to the manager of the sports centre. In your letter:

describe what the problem with the changing rooms is
say what happened the last time you complained
explain what you want the manager 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 regarding the persistent state of the changing rooms at the Riverside Sports Centre. Despite being a loyal member for three years, I find the current sanitary conditions unacceptable.

The primary issue concerns the drainage in the showers, which has been severely blocked for over a month. This results in stagnant, grey water pooling across the floor, creating a significant slip hazard and an unpleasant odour. Furthermore, several lockers have broken mechanisms, making it impossible to secure personal belongings safely.

I last raised these concerns at the reception desk two weeks ago. The duty supervisor assured me that a maintenance team would be dispatched within forty-eight hours. However, I returned yesterday to find that no repairs had been attempted, and the supervisor seemed entirely unaware of my previous report.

I request that you personally oversee the necessary repairs by the end of this week. Additionally, I would appreciate a formal update on the steps being taken to ensure that maintenance requests are tracked more effectively in the future. I look forward to your prompt response regarding this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Arthur Pendelton

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

Why this scores well

This response reaches Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with specific, logical details while maintaining a consistently professional and firm tone. The most common mistake in Band 6 answers is failing to mention the specific outcome of the previous complaint, often resulting in an incomplete response to the prompt.

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 dissatisfaction: a very deep and strong feeling of unhappiness
stagnant: water that is not flowing and smells bad
slip hazard: a situation that is likely to cause falling
dispatched: sent someone or something to a specific destination
secure: to fix or fasten something so it stays
prompt: acting without delay or very quickly

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.