You ordered a new chequebook from your bank two weeks ago but have received nothing. Write a letter to the manager complaining about the bad service. In your letter: - say when and how you ordered the chequebook - ask how much longer you will have to wait - ask what action the manager will take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I ordered a new chequebook for a savings account that I maintain with your bank. It has been more than two weeks and I have not received it yet. I am writing to complain about this bad service and hoping you would rectify that. I have been maintaining the account in your branch for more than a decade and my account number is 7012845181. Generally, the service offered by the bank is praiseworthy, but I cannot say so this time. I placed a chequebook requisition on 14th January and I am still waiting to receive it. I have some payments to make including a payment to my pension fund and I cannot do so without the chequebook. It usually takes 4-5 working days to receive a new chequebook and I am not sure why it is taking so long this time. More surprisingly, when I called the bank the day before yesterday, I got no reliable response. I, therefore, request you to look into this issue and give me a probable date by which the chequebook would be delivered to my address. Furthermore, I would like to get appraised about the reasonable action that would be initiated from your end so as to reduce the possibility of reoccurrence of such a bad incident in the future. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Mehra Niraj
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Faulty coordination Original: and hoping you would rectify that Suggested revision: and to ask you to rectify the situation Why it matters: The infinitive phrase should be parallel with to complain.
- 2. Wrong bank preposition Original: in Suggested revision: at Why it matters: An account is held at a bank branch.
- 3. Use natural request Original: chequebook requisition Suggested revision: request for a chequebook Why it matters: Request for a chequebook is clearer and more natural for a customer letter.
- 4. Write number range Original: It usually takes 4-5 working days Suggested revision: It usually takes four to five working days Why it matters: Writing out this short number range suits a formal letter.
- 5. Use suitable transition Original: surprisingly Suggested revision: concerningly Why it matters: The failed response is concerning rather than merely surprising in a complaint.
- 6. Unnatural response phrase Original: got no reliable response Suggested revision: received no useful response Why it matters: Received no useful response is natural and formal.
- 7. Use delivery term Original: a probable date Suggested revision: an expected delivery date Why it matters: Expected delivery date is the precise phrase for the requested information.
- 8. Use future tense Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: Will is appropriate for a future delivery date requested now.
- 9. Use formal complaint term Original: bad Suggested revision: poor Why it matters: Poor service is more appropriate in a formal complaint.
- 10. Use concise wording Original: payments to make Suggested revision: payments due Why it matters: Payments due states the immediate obligation more concisely.
- 11. Avoid repeated payment Original: including a payment to my pension fund Suggested revision: including a pension contribution Why it matters: The revision removes repetition and uses the standard term pension contribution.
- 12. Clarify reference Original: I cannot do so Suggested revision: I cannot make them Why it matters: Them clearly refers back to the plural payments.
Suggested Rewrites
- and hoping you would rectify that and to ask you to rectify the situation
- in at
- chequebook requisition request for a chequebook
- It usually takes 4-5 working days It usually takes four to five working days
- surprisingly concerningly
- got no reliable response received no useful response
Why this response received Band 6.5
The complaint is purposeful, appropriately formal and well supported with the order date, payment urgency, prior telephone contact and requested remedies. Its main limitation is that it never states clearly how the chequebook was ordered, while dense wording and the absence of body paragraphs make the request less immediately accessible. Prioritise adding the ordering method and organising the problem, waiting-time request and corrective-action request into separate concise paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose and formal tone are clear, and the waiting-time and action requests are developed, but the method used to order the chequebook is not specified.
State explicitly whether the requisition was made online, by telephone or at the branch, then retain the clear requests for a delivery date and preventive action.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a sensible sequence and cohesive markers guide the reader, but presenting the whole body as one paragraph obscures its distinct purposes.
Divide the letter into paragraphs covering the order history, the consequences of the delay, and the two actions requested from the manager.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses a good range of suitably formal vocabulary, though several bureaucratic or inaccurate choices make the final request less precise.
Use direct wording such as 'informed about the action you will take' instead of 'appraised about the reasonable action', and prefer 'recurrence' to 'reoccurrence'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are handled with generally good control, but occasional faulty parallelism and overextended passive constructions reduce fluency.
Write 'I am writing to complain and to ask you to rectify this' and simplify the final action request into a direct active sentence.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You ordered a new chequebook from your bank two weeks ago but have received nothing. Write a letter to the manager complaining about the bad service. In your letter:
- say when and how you ordered the chequebook
- ask how much longer you will have to wait
- ask what action the manager will take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.