You recently stayed in a hotel in a large city. The weather was very unusual for the time of year and the heating/cooling system in the hotel was quite inadequate. Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter: - give details of what was wrong - explain what you had to do to overcome the problem at the time - say what action you would like the manager to take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I have recently stayed in your hotel - Ibis Hotel Heidelberg, for about a week. The temperature was unusually higher during this period and unfortunately, the air conditioner in my room was not fully operational. I am writing this letter to complain about the bad experience I have had due to this and would like you to take steps so that it does not happen again. I checked into the hotel at midnight on 14th July and straightaway went to bed. However, after turning the air conditioner on, I realised that the room was not getting cooler and the room temperature was peculiarly high. Subsequently, I called the hotel staff to solve the problem but they could not do anything. Moreover, no other room was available. Consequently, I had to stay in this room and open the windows and rely on natural air to cool my room. I had to sleep in skimpy clothes, which I do not prefer, to overcome the heat. Noise from the street came through the open windows and my sleep was disrupted. Therefore, I want you to refund 40% of my hotel charges or provide me with a free stay in a deluxe room next time I check into your hotel. Yours faithfully, John Vyas
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use simple past Original: have recently stayed Suggested revision: recently stayed Why it matters: The stay is a completed event at a specified hotel, so the simple past is appropriate.
- 2. Integrate hotel name Original: your hotel - Ibis Hotel Heidelberg, Suggested revision: the Ibis Hotel Heidelberg Why it matters: The hotel name should be integrated into the noun phrase rather than separated by a spaced hyphen.
- 3. Use absolute adjective Original: higher Suggested revision: high Why it matters: Higher requires an explicit comparison, whereas high describes the temperature directly.
- 4. Use formal complaint term Original: bad Suggested revision: unpleasant Why it matters: Unpleasant is more precise and suitably formal for a complaint letter.
- 5. Keep past time Original: I have had Suggested revision: I experienced Why it matters: The complaint describes a completed hotel stay, so a simple past verb is clearer.
- 6. Use formal adverb Original: straightaway Suggested revision: immediately Why it matters: Immediately is more appropriate in a formal complaint.
- 7. Use natural collocation Original: natural Suggested revision: outside Why it matters: Outside air is the standard term for air entering through open windows.
- 8. Use appropriate wording Original: skimpy clothes Suggested revision: light clothing Why it matters: Light clothing conveys the heat-related adjustment in a more suitable formal register.
- 9. Tie time to stay Original: during this period Suggested revision: during my stay Why it matters: This makes the time reference directly relevant to the hotel visit.
- 10. Use natural wording Original: not fully operational Suggested revision: not functioning properly Why it matters: This is a more natural and precise description of faulty air conditioning.
- 11. Clarify reference Original: due to this Suggested revision: because of this problem Why it matters: Naming the problem removes the vague reference and improves cohesion.
- 12. Use formal date style Original: 14th Suggested revision: 14 Why it matters: The date format without an ordinal ending is concise and conventional in formal letters.
Suggested Rewrites
- have recently stayed recently stayed
- your hotel - Ibis Hotel Heidelberg, the Ibis Hotel Heidelberg
- higher high
- bad unpleasant
- I have had I experienced
- straightaway immediately
Why this response received Band 7.0
The complaint is purposeful and fully developed: it explains the failed air conditioner, the unsuccessful request for help, the measures taken, the resulting disturbance, and the desired remedy. Its main limitation is presentation, as the whole letter is compressed into one paragraph and a few expressions sound unnatural or unnecessarily personal. Prioritise clear paragraphing by bullet point and maintain consistently professional wording throughout the complaint.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The communicative purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the requested compensation is specific and appropriate.
Keep the detailed evidence but phrase the compensation request slightly more diplomatically to reinforce the professional tone.
Coherence and Cohesion
Events and consequences progress logically with effective sequencing, although the lack of paragraph breaks makes the letter visually dense.
Separate the problem, the temporary solution and consequences, and the requested action into three focused paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and conveys the complaint precisely, with only occasional awkward choices such as "unusually higher" and "natural air".
Use natural phrases such as "unusually high", "fresh air", and "room charges", and avoid overly personal wording about clothing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of simple and complex sentences is used with generally strong control, despite minor tense, punctuation, and comparative-form lapses.
Use the simple past consistently for the completed stay and proofread punctuation around the hotel name and introductory clauses.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently stayed in a hotel in a large city. The weather was very unusual for the time of year and the heating/cooling system in the hotel was quite inadequate. Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter:
- give details of what was wrong
- explain what you had to do to overcome the problem at the time
- say what action you would like the manager to take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.