You recently stayed in a hotel in a large city. The weather was very unusual for the time of year and the heating/cooling system in the hotel was quite inadequate. Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter: - give details of what was wrong - explain what you had to do to overcome the problem at the time - say what action you would like the manager to take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I recently stayedhave recently stayed at Pan Pacific Perth,at your hotel - Pan Pacific Perth, in room 324 for three nights. I am writing to inform you that the heating in my room was ineffectiveroom heating was ineffectual and despite a great location and friendly staff, I have had a bad experience staying at your hotel. I hope you will repairI am hoping you would repair the central heating system so that no guest has to suffer during unusually cold weatherso that no guest suffers due to the extreme weather. I stayed at your hotel from 25th May till 27th May and had an extremely uncomfortable stayhad an excruciating experience as theyour heating system in my room did not work as expected. The temperature in the city was somewhat unexpected and fell below 7° CelsiusCelcius during this period. When I found that the room was uncomfortably coldroom temperature was not comfortable, I called the front desk attendantexecutive and although he promised to help, nothing was donedespite his promise, nothing was done.
Because of the extreme cold in the room, I had to wear socks and a knit hat, usetake an additional blanket and kept the electric stove on all nightput on the electric stove all night. Consequently, I slept very littlegot very little sleep over the three nights. I think it would be a good idea to repair the central heating system and be prepared for unusual weather. A room heating system for each room along with the central heating system in the winter would certainly make the rooms more comfortable. Perhaps you would consider giving me a discount during a future stayif I stay at your hotel next time. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Walker Luise
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fulfils its purpose effectively by describing the failed heating, explaining the practical steps taken during the stay, and requesting both repairs and compensation in an appropriately formal tone. Its main limitation is occasional awkward or imprecise wording, compounded by two very long paragraphs that blur the sequence of problem, consequences, and requested action. Use clearer hotel-service vocabulary and separate those stages into focused paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully developed with specific details, and the formal tone suits a hotel manager.
Make the requested remedy still sharper by distinguishing the essential repair request from the optional discount request.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses logically from the heating failure to its consequences and requested action, although two dense paragraphs reduce clarity.
Use distinct paragraphs for the complaint details, the temporary measures and effects, and the remedies requested from the manager.
Lexical Resource
There is a good range of complaint and weather vocabulary, but phrases such as front desk executive, put on the electric stove, and room heating are imprecise.
Use natural hotel-service terms such as receptionist, portable heater, and in-room heating system, and correct the spelling of Celsius.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are generally well controlled, though tense choice, punctuation, and some noun phrases show occasional errors.
Keep the past tense consistent for the completed stay and punctuate introductory and contrasting clauses more carefully.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently stayed in a hotel in a large city. The weather was very unusual for the time of year and the heating/cooling system in the hotel was quite inadequate. Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter:
- give details of what was wrong
- explain what you had to do to overcome the problem at the time
- say what action you would like the manager to take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.