Hotel Complaint Letter: Band 6 Sample Letter

All three bullet points are addressed: the reason and dates of the stay are given, several problems are described, and a request is made. The purpose is generally clear, but the tone is inconsistent — the letter is mostly formal, yet it slips into a conversational register with "Honestly, it was a nightmare and my wife was so upset!", which is not appropriate for a complaint to a manager. The request itself is vague ("give me back some of the money"): the manager is not told how much or on what basis, and the breakfast point is mentioned without being connected to what the writer wants. Covering every bullet with uneven, partly inappropriate treatment is typical of Band 6.

The letter is organised in a sensible order — reason for writing, problems, request — and there is a clear overall progression. However, the linking is mechanical: three paragraphs in a row begin with "Firstly", "Secondly" and "Finally", as if the problems were a numbered list rather than one connected experience. The one-sentence breakfast paragraph is too short to justify its own paragraph, and referencing is sometimes loose ("this is not fair" — what exactly is unfair?). Cohesion works, but it is faulty or mechanical in places, which is the Band 6 description.

The vocabulary is adequate for a hotel complaint, with appropriate items such as "wedding anniversary" and "train your staff", and a correct formal opening and closing. The range is limited, though, and there are errors in word form: "a relax holiday" should be a relaxing holiday and "sleep good" should be sleep well. The word "room" is repeated seven times rather than varied (accommodation, the one we were given). These errors do not prevent understanding, so Lexical Resource reaches Band 6.

This is the weakest criterion. The writer attempts some complex sentences ("When I ask for change, she said…"), but errors are frequent: verb forms are wrong in "the receptionist give us", "When I ask", "didn't worked" and "nobody didn't come", and the preposition in "during two hours" should be for two hours. Articles are missing ("a room with sea view" → a room with a sea view), reported speech is not backshifted ("she said there is"), and "the breakfast was also very poor, there was not enough food" is a comma splice. Because errors appear in most sentences and the range of structures is limited, grammar is rated Band 5 — which is why the overall band is 6 rather than a secure 6 across the board.