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 recently stayedhave recently stayed in the Ibis Hotel Heidelbergyour hotel - Ibis Hotel Heidelberg, for about a week. The temperature was unusually highhigher during my stayduring this period and unfortunately, the air conditioner in my room was not functioning properlynot fully operational. I am writing this letter to complain about the unpleasantbad experience I experiencedI have had because of this problemdue to this and would like you to take steps so that it does not happen again. I checked into the hotel at midnight on 1414th July and immediatelystraightaway 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 remain in the roomI had to stay in this room and open the windows and rely on outsidenatural air to cool my room. I had to sleep in light clothingskimpy clothes, which I do not prefer, to cope with the heatto 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 roomhotel charges or provide me with a free stay in a deluxe room next time I check into your hotel. Yours faithfully, John Vyas
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.