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,
I have just returned home after spending three nights at your hotel in Paddington. The staff were very friendly and the location was extremely convenient. However, I feel I must express my disappointment about the room.
As we all know, London is experiencing a very warm summer this year, with temperatures around 30 °C last week, which is quite unusual. As a result, it was very hot in my room on the sixth floor.
Because of the extreme heat in the room, I had to leave the windows open all night and so it was very noisy, as the hotel is on a main road and the traffic never stops in London. Consequently, I got very little sleep over the three nights.
I think it would be a good idea to install an airconditioning system in the hotel. This could also be used as a heating system in the winter and would certainly make the rooms more comfortable. Perhaps you would consider giving me a discount if I come to your hotel again.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use neutral salutation Original: Dear Sir, Suggested revision: Dear Sir or Madam, Why it matters: A neutral salutation is more suitable when the manager's gender is unknown.
- 2. Fix preposition choice Original: about Suggested revision: with Why it matters: Disappointment with is the natural collocation for dissatisfaction with the room.
- 3. Remove broad aside Original: As we all know, Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: This general aside is unnecessary because the letter should focus on the guest's specific experience.
- 4. Anchor the timing Original: around 30 °C last week Suggested revision: around 30 °C during my stay Why it matters: Linking the temperature directly to the stay makes the complaint more precise.
- 5. Clarify the result Original: and so it was very noisy Suggested revision: and this made the room very noisy Why it matters: This wording gives the result a clear reference to the open windows.
- 6. Correct compound spelling Original: airconditioning Suggested revision: air-conditioning Why it matters: Air-conditioning requires a hyphen when used as a compound noun in this form.
- 7. Use hotel collocation Original: if I come to your hotel again Suggested revision: if I stay at your hotel again Why it matters: Stay at a hotel is more precise than come to a hotel in this context.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: As a result, it was very hot in my room on the sixth floor. Suggested revision: As the room's cooling system was inadequate, my sixth-floor room became extremely hot. Why it matters: The revision explicitly identifies the inadequate cooling system as the cause of the problem.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Sir, Dear Sir or Madam,
- about with
- As we all know, Delete
- around 30 °C last week around 30 °C during my stay
- and so it was very noisy and this made the room very noisy
- airconditioning air-conditioning
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter fully covers the problem, the temporary measure, its consequences, and realistic action for the manager, using a consistently appropriate formal tone. Its strongest feature is the clear, well-developed progression from complaint to remedy; the main limitation is a small amount of lexical imprecision, including the spelling of air conditioning. Preserve this structure while refining the few word-choice and spelling details.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the requests for an improved system and a future discount are appropriate.
For even greater precision, identify the room number or booking reference so the manager can investigate the specific stay.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically sequenced in focused paragraphs, with cohesive devices guiding the reader naturally from the problem to its effects and proposed solution.
Refine the transition into the proposed action so the connection between the sleepless stay and the requested remedy is even more direct.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, precise, and natural for a formal complaint, with only a minor spelling issue in 'airconditioning.'
Write 'air-conditioning system' accurately and continue checking compound terms for conventional spelling and hyphenation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately and flexibly, with punctuation and clause control maintained throughout.
Maintain this level of control while varying a few sentence openings to make the polished style even more flexible.
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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.