You have just returned from a holiday. You are unhappy with the quality of the hotel you stayed in and want to complain to the travel agency that arranged the holiday. Write a letter to the manager of the travel agency. In your letter: - say about the holiday and where you stayed - mention why you are unhappy about the hotel - where you stayed - say what you would like the travel agency to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I understand that no business likes to hear these kinds of things from their customers, but sometimes, we just can not help but complain about the poor or bad service.
I am not too happy about the hotel that you booked for me recently. The name of the Hotel was “Concordia Hotel”, located in the city of Lisbon, and I was supposed to stay there from 5th to 9th June, to enjoy my new year’s holiday that was arranged by you.
Unfortunately, I had to check out of the hotel after spending only two nights there because of some unpleasant experience. First of all, I did not find the hotel rooms to be clean enough for the prices I paid. It had a bad odour that made me irritated as long as I stayed there. Moreover, the hotel did not offer me any free shuttle service anywhere in the city even though that is exactly what I was told.
I did not get the services that I was promised by your travel agency. So, it is only fair that I get a full refund of the money that I paid for the hotel charges.
I hope to hear from you soon regarding this.
Yours faithfully,
Freddy Noble
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise noun Original: these kinds of things Suggested revision: such complaints Why it matters: Such complaints is more precise and appropriate in a formal letter.
- 2. Remove redundancy Original: poor or bad service Suggested revision: poor service Why it matters: Poor and bad repeat the same idea, so one adjective is sufficient.
- 3. State complaint directly Original: not too happy Suggested revision: dissatisfied Why it matters: Dissatisfied conveys the complaint more directly and formally.
- 4. Fix capitalization Original: Hotel was Suggested revision: hotel was Why it matters: Hotel is a common noun here and should not be capitalized.
- 5. Format date range Original: from 5th to 9th June Suggested revision: from 5 to 9 June Why it matters: This is a concise standard format for a date range in formal writing.
- 6. Capitalize holiday name Original: new year’s holiday Suggested revision: New Year holiday Why it matters: New Year is a proper name and requires capital letters.
- 7. Fix number agreement Original: some unpleasant experience Suggested revision: several unpleasant experiences Why it matters: The response describes multiple separate problems, so a plural countable form is required.
- 8. Use singular price Original: for the prices I paid Suggested revision: for the price I paid Why it matters: The letter refers to one hotel booking price, so the singular form is appropriate.
- 9. Clarify pronoun reference Original: It had a bad odour Suggested revision: The room had a bad odour Why it matters: Naming the room removes the unclear reference of It.
- 10. Use natural expression Original: made me irritated Suggested revision: made my stay uncomfortable Why it matters: This phrase describes the effect of the odour more naturally in a complaint.
- 11. Use concise phrase Original: as long as I stayed there Suggested revision: throughout my stay Why it matters: Throughout my stay is the natural concise expression for the duration.
- 12. Use active voice Original: services that I was promised by your travel agency Suggested revision: services your travel agency promised Why it matters: The active construction is clearer and more direct.
Suggested Rewrites
- these kinds of things such complaints
- poor or bad service poor service
- not too happy dissatisfied
- Hotel was hotel was
- from 5th to 9th June from 5 to 9 June
- new year’s holiday New Year holiday
Why this response received Band 7.5
The complaint is purposeful, appropriately formal, and well developed through specific details about the hotel, the shortened stay, and the requested refund. The main weakness is uneven language precision, with a few awkward collocations and unclear references that slightly reduce fluency. Refine those expressions and make the opening more direct so the complaint sounds consistently professional and concise.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter clearly identifies the holiday and hotel, explains the problems with specific examples, and requests a full refund.
Make the opening immediately identify the booking and complaint instead of beginning with a general comment about businesses receiving complaints.
Coherence and Cohesion
Clear paragraphing and a logical progression from context to problems and remedy make the letter easy to follow.
Strengthen reference clarity by naming the room or hotel directly instead of using an ambiguous pronoun in "It had a bad odour."
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and suitably formal, with effective items such as "bad odour" and "free shuttle service," although some combinations are awkward.
Replace imprecise phrases such as "some unpleasant experience" and "made me irritated" with natural alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with generally good control, and the remaining errors do not impede communication.
Improve agreement and noun forms in phrases such as "some unpleasant experiences" and check pronoun references carefully.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have just returned from a holiday. You are unhappy with the quality of the hotel you stayed in and want to complain to the travel agency that arranged the holiday. Write a letter to the manager of the travel agency. In your letter:
- say about the holiday and where you stayed
- mention why you are unhappy about the hotel
- where you stayed
- say what you would like the travel agency to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.