IELTS Formal Letter: Formal Letter of Complaint Regarding Defective Online Purchase

The task

You have bought some clothing online and are not satisfied with your purchase.

Write a letter to the company that you bought the clothing from. In your email. In your letter:

→give details of the purchase
→describe the problem
→explain why you need a replacement urgently

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear Sir or Madam,

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8179 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with an order I placed on your website on 12 October, under reference number #88291. The package containing a navy wool overcoat arrived yesterday, but unfortunately, the item is not as described.

Upon inspecting the garment, I discovered a significant tear along the left shoulder seam. Furthermore, the fabric quality is noticeably inferior to the images displayed on your platform, and the size provided is a medium, despite my explicit order for a large. These defects render the coat entirely unsuitable for wear.

I require an urgent replacement because I am scheduled to attend a formal business conference in Edinburgh next Thursday, where this specific attire is necessary. Given that the event is only a few days away, I request that a replacement coat be dispatched via express delivery immediately. Should this be impossible, I must ask for a full refund to be processed without delay so that I may purchase an alternative elsewhere.

I look forward to your prompt confirmation regarding this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

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Examiner's view

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with specific, logical details and maintaining a consistently professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a concrete reason for the urgency, often resulting in a vague request that lacks persuasive impact.

→Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
→If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
→No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

reference number
a unique code used to identify a specific order
garment
a formal word used for an item of clothing
inferior
of lower quality than what was expected
render
to cause someone or something to become something
dispatched
sent off to a destination for a purpose
prompt
done without delay or acting in a timely manner

Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?+

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

How many words should an IELTS General Training letter be?+

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

What does the examiner look for?+

Keep practising

More complaint letters

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