General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Letter to bank manager regarding missing bank card

You have received a letter from your bank, asking you to acknowledge receipt of a new bank card. However, the card was missing from the envelope.

Write a letter to the bank's head office. In your letter:

explain why you are writing
express concern about the missing card
ask them what they intend 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 formally acknowledge receipt of your recent correspondence regarding the issuance of my new debit card. While the envelope arrived at my address this morning, I was dismayed to discover that it had been tampered with and the card itself was missing.

I am extremely concerned about this security breach, as the envelope appeared to have been resealed with adhesive tape, suggesting that the contents were intercepted during transit. Given that this card is linked to my primary current account, I am worried that my personal financial information may now be vulnerable to fraudulent activity.

Could you please confirm whether you have received any reports of damaged mailings from your distribution centre? Furthermore, I request that you immediately cancel the missing card and provide instructions on how to secure a replacement. I also seek your assurance that my account will be monitored for any suspicious transactions until a new card is safely activated.

I look forward to your prompt response regarding this urgent matter.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Sterling

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

Why this scores well

The response achieves Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with a professional, cohesive tone and specific, relevant details. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to mention the security implications of the missing card, which makes the complaint feel less urgent and underdeveloped.

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

correspondence: a formal way of referring to letters sent
dismayed: feeling intense distress or disappointment at a situation
intercepted: stopped or caught something before it reached destination
vulnerable: exposed to the possibility of being harmed
fraudulent: obtained or performed through dishonest or criminal methods
assurance: a confident statement intended to give someone comfort

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.