You recently bought a piece of equipment for your kitchen but it did not work. You phoned the shop but no action was taken. Write a letter to the shop manager. In your letter: - describe the problem with the equipment - explain what happened - when you phoned the shop - say what you would like the manager to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to you to complain about the Singer-MO3708G microwave oven that I purchased from your shop, Kitchen Corner,shop “kitchen corner” last month. I was excited to have purchased it but disappointed to find that it was poorly made and had a manufacturing defecthas manufacturing flaws. I hope you willI am hoping you would either replace it or refund me the full amount. The main problem with the device is that its power supplysystem suddenly stops working. This must be a manufacturing fault. At first, I thought it was a connection problem with the power supply so I hadhave it checked by a technician but the technician ruled this outbut it was not the case. Then I called your shop and spoketalked to Mr Rex and he assured me that one of your technicians wouldwill visit my home within two days. To my considerable disappointmentutmost dismay, it has been 10 days since I called on 10 Junesince the conversation but no one from your shop has arrivedno one from your shop showed up. The order number is 25254801 and I am attaching a copy of my receipt. I request prompt actionI am looking for prompt action from you as I have a valid warranty for the product. Please send someone to replace the faulty product or issue a full refund ofagree to refund the purchase pricethe amount that I have paid for the device. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you in advance. Yours faithfully, Shadia Rahman
Why this response received Band 7.0
The complaint has a clear purpose, covers the fault, the unsuccessful phone contact, purchase details, warranty, and the requested replacement or refund in an appropriately firm register. The main limitation is language control: tense sequencing, capitalisation, and several collocations are inaccurate, while the exact date of the phone call could be clearer. Prioritise precise chronology and consistently formal, idiomatic complaint language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All required points are addressed with relevant detail and a clear remedy, although the timing of the call is expressed only indirectly.
State the date or exact relative time of the phone call and keep the requested resolution unambiguous.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence from purchase and fault to phone call and requested action is easy to follow, but paragraphing is absent in the source presentation.
Group the opening, fault, failed service response, and remedy into distinct paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and suitably formal overall, with occasional awkward or imprecise collocations.
Use standard complaint phrases such as manufacturing defect, had it checked, lodged a complaint, and take prompt action.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are generally controlled, but tense consistency and a few punctuation and capitalisation choices need correction.
Use past forms for completed events and future-in-the-past after the technician's promise.
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 a piece of equipment for your kitchen but it did not work. You phoned the shop but no action was taken. Write a letter to the shop manager. In your letter:
- describe the problem with the equipment
- explain what happened
- when you phoned the shop
- say what you would like the manager to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.