BY IELTSETC ON DECEMBER 30, 2019
A letter of complaint is a common task in General Training IELTS Task 1.
Examples include letters of complaint to
- a neighbour (e.g. noise problem)
- a landlord (e.g. something needs to be fixed)
- a shop
- a restaurant
- a public transport or service provider (e.g. bus or train company)
- the local council (e.g. littering, bin collections)
Look at the question below and follow my steps to write an effective letter of complaint.
You are a student at an English language school in London and you have been experiencing some problems in the flat. Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter
- State your reason for writing
- Describe the problems and explain how you feel
- Propose a solution and ask the landlord to take action
1. Greetings*
It is very important to get the opening and closing of a letter correct, as this sets the tone for the rest of the letter.
If you start with a very formal tone (Dear Sir or Madam) you must maintain that tone throughout (see How to use a formal or informal tone)
How would you start the letter above?How would you start this letter?
*Never start a letter with ‘Greetings!’. This is old-fashioned and inappropriate for any kind of letter.
‘Greetings’ simply means the way you ‘greet’ someone, or the way you open a letter.
2. Reason for writing
- I am writing to complain about..
- I am writing regarding…
- I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with…
You may also need to introduce yourself (see the model below – it’s a good time to use Present Perfect e.g. to say how long you’ve been renting).
3. Introducing the complaint
Start by saying something positive if you want to, and then lead into the problem e.g.
I was extremely happy with the (phone/flat) when I (bought it/moved in). However, I soon started experiencing a number of problems.
4. The first complaint
- Firstly/First of all
- The first problem/complaint/concern is…
- The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is…
You may not have any other complaints, but it’s good to give further evidence to justify your complaint.
5. And another thing!
- Secondly/ Also/ In addition (to this),
- Furthermore…
- To make matters worse,
- Not only was it (cold), it was also (noisy).
Take great care when you start with ‘Not only‘ – it causes ‘inversion’ (see my full lesson on How to use ‘not only…but also’).
Normal word order: IT WAS cold.
Inversion: Not only WAS IT cold,…
6. Mentioning the consequences
- I’m afraid that…
- Unfortunately,
- … which means that(I can no longer work from home)
- As a consequence, (I was late for class).
7. Reporting what’s been said
This is a whole other lesson (coming next), as there are many ways of reporting what you were told by the shop manager or by the bus driver.
Here are a few patterns you can use:
- I was promised a refund.
- The shop assistant promised me a refund.
- Your sales manager promised to get in touch.
- You promised me that you would fix the heating.
Notice the tense change from:
Direct speech: ‘I’ll fix it’.
Indirect speech: ‘You said you would fix it’.
8. Expressing dissatisfaction
- I am very disappointed (with the phone).
- I am not at all pleased (with/about the outcome/decision).
- I am deeply unhappy (about the way I was treated).
9. Asking for action
- I suggest that you replace the item.
- I therefore suggest that I be given a full refund.
- I would be grateful if you could give me a full refund
- I would like to request that you send me a replacement
- I would ask you to fix the problem as a matter of urgency.
- To resolve the problem, I would appreciate it if you could
- Unless the problem can be fixed in the next few days, we will be forced to (find alternative accommodation/contact the council/report you).
10. Ending the letter
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- I look forward to receiving (a full refund/a replacement/ an apology/ your explanation).
- I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem.
Yours sincerely, … (you know the name of the person you are writing to)
Yours faithfully, … (you don’t know the name)
Regards or Best regards is also totally acceptable.
