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/Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I received during a recent train journey booked with your company.
A week before the journey, I purchased train tickets online for this journeyonline for my travel. However, upon arriving at the station on the day of departure, I was informed by your staff that the tickets I had were invalid and could not be used. Moreover, the manner in which your staff handled the situation only made the situation more frustratingexacerbated my dissatisfaction. Despite my attempts to explain the situation and seek assistance, they were unhelpful and dismissive, failing to offer a practical solutionany viable solutions.
In light of this experience, I strongly urge your companythe train company to take immediate corrective action. To prevent this happening againFirstly, there is a clear need for improved coordination between the online booking system and station staff to prevent similar ticket-validity problemssuch discrepancies in ticket validity. Additionally, I recommend providing training to your staff to enhance their customer service skills and their abilitytheir customer service skills and ability to handle similar situations with empathy and efficiency.
I trust that you will address these concerns promptly to ensure a more satisfactory experience for your customers in the future.
Sincerely,
Lisa
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter is direct, appropriately formal, and fully organised around the ticket problem, the staff’s conduct, and practical remedies. Its main limitation is that the complaint remains somewhat generic, with no journey details or explanation of why apparently valid tickets were rejected. Add one or two concrete booking details and state the resolution sought, such as reimbursement or replacement travel.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The complaint achieves its purpose, covers every requested point, and develops sensible corrective actions in a consistently formal register.
Strengthen the complaint further by naming the journey or booking and requesting a specific remedy for the unusable tickets.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced clearly in purposeful paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the reader smoothly through problem, reaction, and solutions.
Use a slightly more explicit transition between the ticket failure and the staff complaint to sharpen the internal structure of the central paragraph.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, precise, and well suited to a formal complaint, with effective choices for describing both service failure and remedies.
Reduce minor repetition of words such as “situation” and “staff” by using precise references where clarity is preserved.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is controlled accurately, with punctuation and sentence formation consistently supporting clear communication.
Refine the opening phrase “journey booked with your company” so its modifier attaches more naturally to the tickets or booking.
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 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.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.