General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Letter to shipping company regarding damaged household goods

You relocated to an overseas country recently and shipped your furniture and other possessions through a shipping company. When you received them, you found some of them got damaged.

Write a letter to the delivery manager of the shipping company. In your letter:

when and where the shipment was
describe the damages
what do you want the shipment company to do?

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the condition of my household possessions, which were delivered to my new residence in Melbourne on 12 October under shipment reference number AU-99821.

The shipment, which was dispatched from London on 15 August, arrived at my property last week. Upon unpacking the crates, it became immediately apparent that several items had been mishandled during transit. Specifically, my mahogany dining table has sustained a deep, five-centimetre scratch across the surface, and two of my antique ceramic lamps were shattered despite being labelled as fragile.

I have attached photographs documenting the extent of the damage to both the furniture and the broken ornaments. Given that I paid for your premium insurance and packing service, I am deeply dissatisfied with the lack of care demonstrated.

I request that you arrange for a professional repair service to assess the table and provide a full refund for the destroyed lamps. Please confirm in writing how you intend to resolve this matter within the next seven days. I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with a consistent, professional tone and precise vocabulary. The most common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide specific details about the damage or neglecting to include a clear, actionable request for compensation.

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

lodge a complaint: To officially submit a formal expression of dissatisfaction
dispatched: Sent off to a destination in an efficient manner
mishandled: Managed or handled something in an incompetent or careless way
sustained: Experienced or suffered a loss or physical injury
premium: Of a very high quality or superior standard
prompt: Done without delay and performed at the right time

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.