When people need to complain about a product or poor service, some prefer to complain in writing and others prefer to complain in person. Which method do you think is more effective? Why?
Sample Response
OftenMany times people need to complain about a product or poor service, both of which are quite commonpoor service which is quite common nowadays. It is, therefore, important for peopleone to identify the best medium for theiryour complaints to have the desired effect. RaisingRising complaints eitherboth in person or in writing have their pros and cons, butpros and cons but I personally prefer to lodge my complaints in writing.
Firstly, submitting complaintsputting down your complaints in writing has the advantage of getting to the intended recipientperson intended. That person is usually at the top of the hierarchy. For example, if someone complains to the driver of a bus about speedingover-speeding or reckless driving, the information might not get to the manager of the transport company but may only end up with the driver which might not stop the driver from over speeding in the future and therefore the complaint would not make any impact. Secondly, writing to the manager about a poor service gives the manager time to understand and appreciate the seriousnessassimilate the gravity of the situation and understand how important it iswas to you, the consumer,you the consumer for you to take theyour time to write about a certain problem. In addition, if one decides to complain in person, emotions may come into play and may lead to the heated argumentexchange of words and the desired effect is therefore not achieved. Written complaints also have the advantage of providing a future recordbeing referred to in the future. In summary, written complaints have the advantage of getting to the individual in charge, being able to be referred to in the future and giving the receiver ample time to understand the situation and to address it appropriately. As a result, I would prefer to submitforward my complaints in writing.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response’s strongest feature is a clear, consistent preference for written complaints supported by several relevant reasons and a concrete transport example. Its main limitation is presentation and precision: nearly all development sits in one long paragraph, some points repeat, and several collocations and sentence structures are awkward. Prioritise grouping the reasons into distinct paragraphs and tightening each explanation around how writing produces a more effective outcome.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay directly answers both questions, maintains a clear preference for writing, and develops relevant benefits involving authority, reflection, emotional control and a permanent record.
Deepen the comparison by briefly explaining when an in-person complaint might work quickly and why the written method remains more reliable overall.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument follows a logical sequence and uses clear enumeration, but the single extended body paragraph and repeated conclusion weaken paragraph-level progression.
Separate access to decision-makers, careful consideration and written records into focused paragraphs, then keep the conclusion concise.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied for the topic, but phrases such as “rising complaints,” “putting down your complaints,” “assimilate the gravity” and “forward my complaints” are unnatural.
Use precise collocations such as “making a complaint,” “submit in writing,” “assess the seriousness” and “retain a record.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex structures conveys the argument, though pronoun shifts, article errors and several overloaded relative and coordinate clauses reduce accuracy.
Maintain one pronoun perspective and divide the longest example and manager sentences into shorter clauses with clear subjects.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
When people need to complain about a product or poor service, some prefer to complain in writing and others prefer to complain in person. Which method do you think is more effective? Why?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.