You took your family to a nearby restaurant. You were disappointed with the meal and wish to complain to the manager. Write a letter to the manager of the restaurant. In your letter, explain why you were at the restaurant describe the problems write about the action you want the manager to take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I visited your restaurant on 11th May with my family to celebrate my sister’s birthday. We usually enjoy your food but this time it was utterly disappointing. I am hoping that you will keep your food quality intact and take action regarding the bad dining experience we have had. We have always considered your restaurant as the most classy French cuisine place in town. Since my sister lives in France, we dine at your restaurant every time she is in our country. This time it was even more special as we were celebrating her birthday. But the whole event was ruined due to the dishes we were served. I suppose you can imagine our disappointment when we found the onion soup absolutely inedible. It was cold, and it appeared your chef did not stir it well while cooking. Some clogs of flour were visible in the soup. Moreover, the main course was cold and not up to our expectations. They tasted very ordinary and hackneyed but we paid almost thrice for these items! We asked a waitress about the reasons and she had no plausible excuse for that. I am looking forward to hearing that you have taken the necessary steps to maintain your reputation and food quality. Otherwise, you have already lost a customer. Yours faithfully, Elizabeth Harley
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Tone control Original: utterly disappointing Suggested revision: very disappointing Why it matters: Utterly is acceptable but can sound emotional; very keeps the complaint firm and professional.
- 2. Tense issue Original: the bad dining experience we have had Suggested revision: the bad dining experience we had Why it matters: Use past simple for the completed restaurant visit.
- 3. Natural adjective Original: most classy Suggested revision: classiest Why it matters: Classiest is the more natural superlative form.
- 4. Sentence boundary Original: This time it was even more special Suggested revision: This time, it was even more special Why it matters: A comma after the introductory phrase improves readability.
- 5. Wrong word Original: Some clogs of flour Suggested revision: Some lumps of flour Why it matters: Lumps is the correct word for pieces of unmixed flour in soup.
- 6. Pronoun reference Original: They tasted very ordinary Suggested revision: The dishes tasted very ordinary Why it matters: They is unclear because the previous sentence mentions the main course as singular.
- 7. Wrong register Original: hackneyed Suggested revision: uninspired Why it matters: Hackneyed is normally used for ideas or expressions, not food taste.
- 8. Closing tone Original: Otherwise, you have already lost a customer. Suggested revision: Otherwise, I may not be able to recommend or return to your restaurant. Why it matters: This keeps the warning clear but sounds more professional.
- 9. Formal connector Original: But the whole event was ruined Suggested revision: However, the whole event was ruined Why it matters: However is more suitable than starting a formal complaint sentence with But.
- 10. Stronger complaint Original: not up to our expectations Suggested revision: well below our expectations Why it matters: This is a more idiomatic complaint phrase.
- 11. Specific action Original: necessary steps to maintain your reputation and food quality Suggested revision: a refund and an explanation of how you will prevent this happening again Why it matters: The requested action should be specific, not just general improvement.
- 12. Sentence rewrite Original: I am hoping that you will keep your food quality intact and take action regarding the bad dining experience we have had. Suggested revision: I hope you will investigate what happened, speak to the kitchen staff, and consider offering a refund or replacement meal. Why it matters: The original request is too vague; a complaint letter needs a concrete action.
Suggested Rewrites
- utterly disappointing very disappointing
- the bad dining experience we have had the bad dining experience we had
- most classy classiest
- This time it was even more special This time, it was even more special
- Some clogs of flour Some lumps of flour
- They tasted very ordinary The dishes tasted very ordinary
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter explains the occasion and describes the food problems well, but the requested action is too general. A complaint letter should state clearly what the manager should do.
Add a specific requested outcome, such as an apology, refund, replacement meal, or staff follow-up.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are logically sequenced and the complaint is easy to understand. Cohesion is weakened by one-paragraph formatting and a few abrupt shifts from background to complaint.
Use separate paragraphs for visit details, problems, and requested action.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and mostly effective for a complaint, but a few words are inaccurate or too strong for the context.
Replace unnatural choices such as clogs of flour and hackneyed with precise food-related vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex forms is used, with mostly clear meaning, but some tense and pronoun choices are inaccurate.
Check tense consistency in complaint descriptions and make sure pronouns clearly refer to the food items.