General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Letter to the Sports Center Manager regarding changing rooms

You are not satisfied with the changing rooms in the sports center that you visit.

Write a letter to the manager. In your letter:

what the problem is
how do you feel about the problem
what steps do you want the manager to take

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 dissatisfaction regarding the current state of the changing rooms at the Riverside Sports Centre, which I have attended as a member for three years.

Over the past month, the cleanliness of the facilities has deteriorated significantly. Most notably, the floor in the communal area is frequently covered in stagnant water, and several lockers have broken mechanisms that prevent them from locking securely. Furthermore, the ventilation system appears to be malfunctioning, resulting in a persistent, unpleasant odour that makes the area highly unhygienic.

I find this situation deeply frustrating, particularly as I pay a premium membership fee for access to well-maintained facilities. It is disappointing that the center’s standards have slipped, as this environment feels neither safe for storing personal belongings nor comfortable for post-workout use.

I would appreciate it if you could arrange for a professional cleaning crew to address the sanitation issues immediately and schedule a technician to repair the faulty lockers. I also urge you to inspect the ventilation system to ensure it meets health and safety requirements.

I look forward to your prompt response regarding these necessary improvements.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Miller

194 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 specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional and firm tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide enough detail about the problems, leading to a thin, repetitive letter that lacks a clear, logical structure.

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

deteriorated: became progressively worse in quality or condition
stagnant: water that is not flowing and is dirty
malfunctioning: failing to function or operate in a normal way
unhygienic: not clean and likely to cause disease
premium: of a higher quality or price than others
sanitation: conditions relating to public health and clean water

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.