IELTS Complaint Letter: Format, Phrases, Topics & Sample
IELTS Complaint Letter is a formal or semi-formal type of letter where you are given a situation that you wish to be resolved in some way.
Complaint letters are used to raise your concerns about unfair things, such as bad service, faulty goods, problems with people and to seek a productive outcome.
Here is an example of how the task may look like:
Writing Task 1 General Training 20 minutes
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You have had a problem with your next-door neighbour. You have not been able to speak to your neighbour about this.
Write a letter to this neighbour. In your letter
- Explain the problem
- Suggest a solution
- Say what action you will take if the situation does not improve
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ... ,
Note! You will find the IELTS Complaint Letter Sample with grammar corrections and estimated band score down below.
IELTS Complaint Letter Structure & Vocabulary
We have listed for you the letter structure of IELTS Complaint Letter with common phrases you can use to get the correct structure and right tone.
- 1Dear Sir or Madam,
- 2I am writing to complain about…
- 3
- 4I would appreciate it if you could…
- 5Yours faithfully,
John Brown
- Dear Sir/Madam, (or name if given)
- Explanation: 1-2 sentences what you are complaining about
- I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the ... / my concern about
- I am writing to complain about ... / I had been led to believe ...
- I would like to draw your attention to ...
- The reason I am writing to you is the poor quality of a ... , which I bought in your store.
- After I had used it only twice, problems started to appear.
- Explain in more detail
- what had happened, what is the problem
- I was supposed to receive ... . Unfortunately, that never happened.
- I could not believe that ...
- what are you unhappy about
- You can imagine how unhappy I was to discover ...
- I regret to inform you that your service was below my expectations.
- what did you do to resolve the situation
- I contacted your store immediately in order to return ...
- When I tried to contact you by phone no one could offer me any sensible answer.
- how do you feel about the problem
- You can imagine how receiving this offer upset me.
- What action you want the person or company to take / What would you like them to do, what will you do?
- The ideal solution would be ... / Nevertheless, I hope/assume you will replace ...
- I hope you can settle this matter by ... (doing smth)
- I insist on getting a refund of ...
- I am very disappointed with the ... . Therefore I expect a full refund of $100 as soon as possible.
- I hope this matter will be resolved / I trust the situation will improve.
-
Formal ending, name, signature
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- I look forward to receiving a prompt reply!
- Yours sincerely, ... (you know the name of the person you are writing to)
- Yours faithfully, ... (you don't know the name!)
Complaint letter template
Copy this template and replace the parts in brackets. It follows the same 5 parts as the structure above.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to complain about [the product / service], which I [bought / used] at [place] on [date].
Unfortunately, [explain what went wrong]. I [say what you did to solve it], but [say what happened].
As you can imagine, this has caused me [a lot of inconvenience / extra costs]. I would therefore appreciate it if you could [refund / replace / repair / apologise] by [date].
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
Writing to someone by name, like your neighbour? Start with Dear Mr Stafford, and end with Yours sincerely,.
Practise complaint letter phrases
Complaint letters use the same set phrases again and again, and the small words in them are easy to mix up: you complain about something, you are dissatisfied with it and entitled to a refund. Each round picks 15 of 45 phrases at random, so play a few rounds and you will get them right on exam day.
Useful phrases
Opening: say why you are writing
- I would like to complain about the poor quality of service I recently received from your company.
- I wish to make a complaint regarding your inefficient staff. (level of service)
- I am writing to complain about the poor train service your company provided from the 5th to the 12th of November. / ... and I missed my plane as a result.
- I am writing to you about the party ... . I have a number of complaints. I hope you will agree that it was a very disappointing evening.
Describing the problem
- To begin with ... / In addition to this, ... / Added to this, there was no ...
- The problems do not stop here. / ... / Furthermore, ...
- ... was not worth the money I paid for it.
- Having paid a lot of money for the ... , I found this extremely frustrating
- In your ... you promised a pleasant ... . This was definitely not my experience.
- However, I would like to point out that ...
Asking for action
- I would appreciate it if you could look into the matter as soon as possible.
- I would like you to replace the item or give me a full refund.
- I feel I am entitled to a partial refund in addition to an apology for the inconvenience caused.
- Please find enclosed a copy of the receipt for ... . I expect this cost to be refunded as well.
Closing
- I trust that you will deal with this matter promptly.
- Thank you for your attention to this matter.
- I look forward to hearing from you. / I look forward to your prompt reply.
Common complaint letter topics
Use these situations to practise. For each one, explain the problem, say how it affected you and ask for a clear action, such as a refund, a repair or an apology.
| Situation | Write to |
|---|---|
| A product you ordered online arrived damaged or late | The online shop |
| Your hotel room did not match the description on the website | The hotel manager |
| A restaurant meal was cold and the service was slow | The restaurant manager |
| A train or flight delay made you miss an important appointment | The transport company |
| Your neighbour's noise is keeping you awake | Your neighbour |
| A course you paid for was cancelled without notice | The college or course organiser |
| Your internet connection keeps failing | The internet provider |
| A repair in your home was done badly or not finished | The repair company |
| Your landlord has not fixed a problem in your flat | Your landlord |
| Litter and broken equipment in a local park | The local council |
| A concert or conference was badly organised | The event organiser |
| You were charged too much on a bill | The company's customer service |
A real complaint letter, corrected by an IELTS examiner
A student wrote this letter, and an IELTS examiner marked it. Mistakes are in red and crossed out, and the examiner’s corrections are in green right after them. Hover over a correction, or tap it on your phone, to see why it was changed.
Writing Task 1 Student letter 20 minutes
You have had a problem with your next-door neighbour. You have not been able to speak to your neighbour about this.
Write a letter to this neighbour. In your letter
- explain the problem
- suggest a solution
- say what action you will take if the situation does not improve
Write at least 150 words.
Begin your letter as follows: Dear ... ,
Dear Mr. Stafford,
I am writing to you to complain about a problem that has recently appeared withmay have been caused by your kids.
First of all, as I have been made redundant since last month, I need to spend a lot of time at home. However, your kids make it impossible to stay inhave any peace, especially soon after they have arrived at home from school. They play with a ball indoors, run around and listen to music too loudly. I have really tried not to pay too much attention to itthis and I havehad hoped that things would settle without a real need of forbiddingneeding to forbid them from enjoying themselves. At the same timeHowever, the situation tends to getis getting worse.
As I do not use a phone and I have not seen you around in/for a while, I have decided to contact to you by post. I would like to ask whether it would be okay for you to restrain your kids and explain that there are other people living in the house as well. Otherwise, I amwill be compelled to report this matter to the police.
I seriously hope that my letter will not create too much confusionany ill-feeling between us and we couldcan remain as good neighbours.
Yours sincerely,
Jack Smith
(206 words)
6.5
Examiner’s band scorefor the letter as written, before the corrections
What this letter does well
The examiner gave this letter band 6.5. All three bullet points are covered: the problem (noise from the children), a polite solution and what the writer will do if nothing changes. The tone is firm but friendly, which is right for a neighbour.
IELTS Complaint Letter FAQ
Quick answers to the questions students ask most.
How long should an IELTS complaint letter be?
At least 150 words, but the word count matters less than following the task. Answer every bullet point in the prompt: a letter that covers all three points well scores higher than a longer one that misses one. Most good answers are about 160–190 words, written in around 20 minutes so you keep enough time for Writing Task 2.
Should I write “Dear Sir or Madam” or use a name?
Use the name if the task gives one or you know the person, for example Dear Mr Stafford. If you are writing to a company and do not know who will read the letter, use Dear Sir or Madam.
How do I end a complaint letter?
The ending depends on how you started the letter:
- Dear Sir or Madam, → Yours faithfully, you do not know the person's name
- Dear Mr Stafford, → Yours sincerely, you know the name
Write your full name on the next line.
How formal should a complaint letter be?
Always polite, even when you are angry. A letter to a company should be fully formal. A letter to a neighbour you know can be semi-formal, but still polite and without slang.
Do I need to write addresses or a date?
No. The task tells you that you do not need to write any addresses. Start straight away with Dear ....
What must a complaint letter include?
Answer all three bullet points in the task. Usually that means explaining the problem, saying how it affected you and asking for a clear action, such as a refund, a repair or an apology.
