IELTS Formal Letter: Formal Letter of Complaint to Tourist Information Manager

The task

You recently visited a foreign country and got some information at the Tourist Information Centre. The information given to you was wrong.

Write a letter to the center manager and explain. In your letter:

→what was the information required
→how was the wrong information provided
→what problems did you have because of this

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8181 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Manager,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction regarding the inaccurate information I received from your office at the Central Station on 12th October.

I visited your centre specifically to enquire about the bus timetable for the coastal shuttle to Brighton. As I had a pre-booked guided tour scheduled for 10:00 am, I needed to confirm the earliest departure time to ensure I would arrive punctually.

Your staff member informed me definitively that a bus departed at 8:30 am, which would have allowed me ample time to reach my destination. Relying on this advice, I arrived at the bus stop well in advance. However, I soon discovered that the service had been suspended for maintenance, a fact that was clearly displayed on the station noticeboard but overlooked by your representative.

Consequently, I missed my guided tour entirely, resulting in the forfeiture of my non-refundable deposit. Had I been provided with the correct schedule, I would have made alternative travel arrangements. I trust you will investigate this lapse in service and clarify how such misinformation was provided.

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

A Band 8 response addresses all bullet points with a clear, professional tone and logical development of the narrative. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to link the misinformation directly to the specific consequence, often resulting in a vague description of the problem.

→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

definitively
in a final and settled way
punctually
at the correct time without being late
suspended
temporarily prevented from continuing or being in force
forfeiture
the loss of something as a penalty
non-refundable
that cannot be returned or given back
lapse
a temporary failure of concentration or judgment

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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