You recently bought some train tickets for a journey a week in advance. When you went to the station to catch the train, you were told you could not use the tickets and the staff were very unhelpful to you. Write a letter to the train company. In your letter: - describe the problem you had with the tickets - say why you were unhappy with the staff - suggest what action the train company should take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to formally express my disappointment regarding an issue I encountered while travelling with "VIA Rail Canada" on February 25, 2025. I had purchased two economy class tickets (Booking Reference: VRC123456) a week in advance for travel from Toronto Union Station to Montreal Central Station on Train #64, departing at 9:30 AM. However, upon arrival at the station, I was informed that my tickets were not valid, despite presenting the booking confirmation.
Moreover, the station staff were extremely unhelpful and dismissive. Instead of assisting me in resolving the issue, they repeatedly insisted that my only option was to purchase new tickets at a significantly higher price. When I asked for clarification on why my pre-booked tickets were not valid, I received vague and unprofessional responses, which left me frustrated and stranded.
I expect VIA Rail Canada to take responsibility for this inconvenience. I request a full refund for the tickets I was unable to use and a formal explanation of why this issue occurred. Additionally, I urge the company to improve staff training to ensure better customer service in the future.
Please respond at your earliest convenience, as I would like to resolve this matter promptly.
Yours faithfully,
Jacob Hall
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove company quotation marks Original: "VIA Rail Canada" Suggested revision: VIA Rail Canada Why it matters: A company name normally appears without quotation marks in formal correspondence.
- 2. Use concise date style Original: on February 25, 2025 Suggested revision: on 25 February 2025 Why it matters: This date format is concise and avoids an unnecessary comma.
- 3. Hyphenate compound modifier Original: economy class tickets Suggested revision: economy-class tickets Why it matters: A hyphen clearly groups the two words as one modifier before ‘tickets’.
- 4. Use formal train number Original: Train #64 Suggested revision: Train 64 Why it matters: The hash symbol is unnecessary in a formal letter when the number follows ‘Train’.
- 5. Standardise time style Original: 9:30 AM Suggested revision: 9:30 a.m. Why it matters: Lower-case abbreviations with full stops give the time a consistent formal style.
- 6. Use direct arrival clause Original: upon arrival at the station Suggested revision: when I arrived at the station Why it matters: A finite clause is more direct and personal in this complaint narrative.
- 7. Make subject explicit Original: despite presenting the booking confirmation Suggested revision: although I presented the booking confirmation Why it matters: The explicit subject removes any possible ambiguity about who presented the confirmation.
- 8. Strengthen complaint transition Original: Moreover Suggested revision: More seriously Why it matters: This transition shows that the staff response worsened the original ticket problem.
- 9. Clarify practical consequence Suggested revision: State whether being stranded meant missing the journey or buying replacement tickets, using the outcome that actually occurred. Why it matters: The practical impact of the staff's response remains unclear after the word ‘stranded’.
- 10. Reconnect booking reference Suggested revision: Repeat the booking reference in the refund request so the company can link the remedy to the documented purchase immediately. Why it matters: The relevant reference appears only in the earlier narrative paragraph.
Suggested Rewrites
- "VIA Rail Canada" VIA Rail Canada
- on February 25, 2025 on 25 February 2025
- economy class tickets economy-class tickets
- Train #64 Train 64
- 9:30 AM 9:30 a.m.
- upon arrival at the station when I arrived at the station
Why this response received Band 9.0
This is a highly effective complaint letter: the ticket problem, the staff’s dismissive response, and the requested refund, explanation, and training are all developed with precise supporting detail and an appropriately firm tone. The structure and language are consistently controlled, leaving only a minor opportunity to trim some repeated references to tickets and the company. Preserve the clear request sequence while making the wording marginally more concise.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter fully satisfies every requirement with a clear purpose, detailed circumstances, justified dissatisfaction, and specific requested actions in an appropriate register.
Retain this level of specificity while ensuring every included booking detail remains directly useful to resolving the complaint.
Coherence and Cohesion
Purposeful paragraphs and well-managed linking create a seamless progression from the incident through the staff response to the requested remedy.
For even greater economy, combine the final response request with the remedy paragraph without weakening its emphasis.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and natural for a formal complaint, with effective choices such as ‘dismissive’, ‘clarification’, and ‘stranded’.
Maintain this precise register while avoiding any unnecessary repetition of ‘issue’, ‘tickets’, or the company name.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex structures is used accurately and naturally, with virtually no grammatical disruption.
Continue checking long sentences for concision so their strong grammatical control is matched by maximum efficiency.
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