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 am Rona Lyn Olivar, a regular customer of your Cozy Place Restaurant, and today I am writing to complain about the unpalatable meals and desserts we were served last Sunday. I am hoping that you will maintain your food standard and probe into the event that ruined our evening.
I, along with my husband and children, went to your restaurant at around 7:00 o'clock on 27th July to celebrate my husband's job promotion. It was supposed to be a happy and memorable night because we were commemorating a special event as a family in one of our favourite restaurants. But we have had a frustrating experience.
We ordered lamb steak, spuds and toasted sandwiches as our main course, but the steak was salty, raw and hard. On top of that, our sandwiches were served cold! Though we complained about our food to the waitress, she did not mind us and instead told us to complain to the manager. This was quite unexpected and unprofessional.
I demand a full refund that I paid for the meal and your steps towards making your staff behaviour more professional and cordial. Otherwise, consider me as a lost customer.
I look forward to your immediate response regarding this.
Yours faithfully,
Rona Lyn Olivar
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Specific complaint Original: unpalatable meals and desserts Suggested revision: poor-quality meals and desserts Why it matters: This is direct and formal without sounding exaggerated.
- 2. Natural investigation Original: probe into the event Suggested revision: investigate what happened Why it matters: “Probe into the event” sounds unnatural in this customer complaint.
- 3. Add comma Original: today I am writing Suggested revision: today, I am writing Why it matters: A comma after the introductory time phrase improves punctuation.
- 4. Time style Original: 7:00 o'clock on 27th July Suggested revision: 7:00 p.m. on 27 July Why it matters: This is a cleaner formal way to write the time and date.
- 5. Smoother contrast Original: But we have had a frustrating experience. Suggested revision: Unfortunately, the experience was frustrating. Why it matters: This links the positive expectation to the disappointing experience more smoothly.
- 6. Formal food word Original: spuds Suggested revision: potatoes Why it matters: “Spuds” is informal and less suitable for a complaint letter.
- 7. Series comma Original: salty, raw and hard Suggested revision: salty, raw, and hard Why it matters: A comma before the final item improves clarity in a list.
- 8. Wrong phrase Original: did not mind us Suggested revision: ignored us Why it matters: “Did not mind us” does not naturally mean she ignored the complaint.
- 9. Diplomatic request Original: I demand a full refund Suggested revision: I would like to request a full refund Why it matters: This keeps the action clear while using a more appropriate formal tone.
- 10. Awkward noun phrase Original: your steps towards making Suggested revision: steps to make Why it matters: The phrase needs a clearer structure after “steps”.
- 11. Too threatening Original: consider me as a lost customer Suggested revision: I may not be able to return to your restaurant Why it matters: The original wording is awkward and overly severe for a formal complaint.
- 12. Polished close Original: I look forward to your immediate response regarding this. Suggested revision: I look forward to your prompt response. Why it matters: This is concise and avoids the vague phrase “regarding this”.
Suggested Rewrites
- unpalatable meals and desserts poor-quality meals and desserts
- probe into the event investigate what happened
- today I am writing today, I am writing
- 7:00 o'clock on 27th July 7:00 p.m. on 27 July
- But we have had a frustrating experience. Unfortunately, the experience was frustrating.
- spuds potatoes
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The complaint covers the reason for visiting, the food and service problems, and the desired action. The purpose is very clear, but the threat in the remedy paragraph is too forceful for a high-scoring formal complaint.
Keep the specific refund request, but make the requested staff action and closing more diplomatic.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is well organised into purposeful paragraphs with a logical movement from background to problems and requested remedy. Cohesion is generally strong, though a few abrupt contrasts and repeated complaint phrases could be smoother.
Use measured transitions and combine the refund and staff-training request into one polished action paragraph.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and mostly appropriate, including “unpalatable”, “commemorating”, and “unprofessional”. Some choices are awkward or overly strong, such as “probe into the event” and “consider me as a lost customer”.
Replace severe or unnatural complaint wording with precise customer-service language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is mostly controlled across complex sentences. Errors are minor but noticeable in tense choice, articles, and sentence structure around the request for a refund.
Proofread tense after time references and check noun phrases such as “the amount I paid” and “steps to improve”.